Hand cross
date: label: Date
content: ca. 16th-17th century
name: label: Maker
content: Ethiopian Orthodox
notes: label: Label Text
content: Ethiopian Orthodox priests bestow blessings on the faithful with hand crosses. The square at the base of this one symbolizes both the Ark of the Covenant (believed to have come to Ethiopia from Jerusalem) and the tomb of Adam (thought to have been at the foot of Christ's cross). The form of this "Havaria" cross, with a cross intersecting a circle, might have been introduced from the desert monasteries of Egypt. Years of handling and abrasion from the priest's robes contributed to the worn surface.
label: Description
content: Wood cross with triangular ends, an open circle connecting the arms, a square form on the lower shaft, and an overall dark, smooth patina with circle-dot motifs.
label: Provenance
content: Merton Simpson, New York, -- to 2002
label: Exhibition History
content: African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2010-November 13, 2013
label: Content Statement
content: As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
label: Image Requests
content: High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
place: label: Geography
content: Ethiopia
topic: label: Topic
content: male
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African Art Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift from Merton D. Simpson in memory of Alan Brandt
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2002-21-1
objectType: label: Type
content: Sculpture
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Wood
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 30.4 x 14.4 x 1.6 cm (11 15/16 x 5 11/16 x 5/8 in.)