Cross of Ba'ǝda Maryam
Type:
Crosses
Date:
1468–78
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Ethiopia
Medium:
Gilt-bronze
Dimensions:
61 × 46 cm
Description:
This processional cross was made for Ba'ǝda Maryam I (r. 1468–78), an Ethiopian ruler of the Solomonid dynasty. An inscription identifies the recipient and says that the cross was donated to a church in the Amhara region; whoever removed it would be struck by thunder. It depicts the Crucifixion in the center on one side and the Virgin and Child flanked by archangels Gabriel and Michael on the other. The interlace panels that surround these scenes resemble those in contemporary Ethiopian manuscripts. The three small crosses at the ends feature angels and birds executed in a linear, schematic style; by contrast, the figures at the center are more three-dimensional, with naturalistic drapery and a suggestion of pictorial space. This latter style reflects the innovations of Italian artists working in Ethiopia in the fifteenth century.
There were numerous artistic and cultural exchanges between Ethiopia and Europe in this period. Numerous embassies and pilgrims traveled to Rome, and an Ethiopian community was established at the church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini in the Vatican (Abyssinia was an old name for Ethiopia).
Ethiopian processional crosses, mounted on a tall wooden pole, could be made of diverse materials: some held that wood was appropriate because it was the material on which Jesus was crucified, but others thought that precious metal was more suitable. This cross was cast in bronze, using the lost-wax process, and originally it was gilded. Textiles were draped through the openings at the base.
There were numerous artistic and cultural exchanges between Ethiopia and Europe in this period. Numerous embassies and pilgrims traveled to Rome, and an Ethiopian community was established at the church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini in the Vatican (Abyssinia was an old name for Ethiopia).
Ethiopian processional crosses, mounted on a tall wooden pole, could be made of diverse materials: some held that wood was appropriate because it was the material on which Jesus was crucified, but others thought that precious metal was more suitable. This cross was cast in bronze, using the lost-wax process, and originally it was gilded. Textiles were draped through the openings at the base.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
11
Repository and Online Resources:
• The cross is in the Musei Nazionale del Bargello (inv. 22 Or). Harvard's I Tatti studied the cross from multiple perspectives in this one-hour video.
Image Credits:
Linda Safran
