Single Leaf from a Gospel Book with a Portrait of Saint Luke

c. 1440–80

Empire of Ethiopia, Tigray region

(Ethiopia)

Medium

ink and tempera on vellum

Measurements

Sheet: 37 x 25 cm (14 9/16 x 9 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1999.212

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Location

105 Byzantine

Did You Know?

The majority of Ethiopian manuscripts are written in Ge’ez, the ancient liturgical language of Ethiopia.

Description

Christianity arrived in Ethiopia during the 300s CE, well before reaching northern Europe. Typical of panel and manuscript painting in Ethiopia, this leaf is decorated with bright colors and a joyous interplay of geometric pattern. The full-page miniature depicts the evangelist Luke, with his symbol, the ox, within the arch above. The short text is in the Ge‘ez (the centuries-old church language of Ethiopian Orthodoxy) and consists of the opening lines of the gospel of Luke: “Make this image of St. Luke with this bull––his prayer (offering)––and with his blessings, they were with us. Amen.”