Hand cross
date: label: Date
content: 16th century
name: label: Maker
content: Ethiopian Orthodox
notes: label: Label Text
content: The cross is perhaps the most pervasive symbolic artifact in Ethiopia. Priests use hand crosses to bestow blessings on and receive salutations from the faithful. Made of iron, copper alloy or wood, hand crosses vary considerably. The cube at the base of the shaft symbolizes the Ark of the Covenant, which is believed to have come to Ethiopia from Jerusalem, and the tomb of Adam, which is believed to have been at the foot of Christ's cross.
label: Description
content: Iron cross with a cylindrical shaft with cube base, and topped by a flat openworked cross with arms of equal length.
label: Provenance
content: Art dealer, Addis Ababa, -- ca. 1985
label: Provenance
content: Rémy Audouin, Paris, ca. 1985 to 1997
label: Exhibition History
content: Ethiopian Icons: Faith and Science, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., January 31-October 5, 2003
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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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: cross
label: Topic
content: male
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African Art Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Museum purchase
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Object number
content: 97-19-6
objectType: label: Type
content: Sculpture
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Iron
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 29.1 x 7.2 x 1.9 cm (11 7/16 x 2 13/16 x 3/4 in.)