Icon
date: label: Date
content: 17th century
name: label: Maker
content: Ethiopian Orthodox
notes: label: Label Text
content: The practice of wearing small icons suspended from the neck in cloth or leather bags seems to date to the second half of the 15th century. They were believed to protect against evil. Later a pierced suspension cylinder would make the icons a true pendant form. While this icon has a single opening, double-sided pendants would become more common in the 17th and 18th centuries. While usually concealed by their protective wrappings, the pendant exteriors would be painted like this example or elaborately carved. The subject matter and style of the images relates to the larger panel icons. Typically Mary is shown in a blue shawl, holding a barefoot Christ child, a pose that was influenced by an Italian engraving (copied from an icon in Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore), which Jesuit missionaries introduced to Ethiopia early in the 17th century. The inclusion of the archangels Michael and Gabriel, and the juxtaposition of Mary and St. George are traditional Ethiopian additions to the iconography. The equestrian figure is one of a series of young warrior saints in Ethiopian art that are generally identified by the color of the horse. A white horse usually signifies St. George. Here the spear has a cross form finial and the serpent dragon that often appears is absent. Indeed several details commonly found have been simplified or eliminated (e.g. Christ's book, Mary's handkerchief) perhaps because of size or the inclination of the artist. The hand gesture of the Christ child, where He reaches for Mary rather than making a benediction, when combined with his gaze on her face, conveys a more tender variation on the standard pose.
label: Description
content: Wood square pendant with cylindrical cord holder and a fiber hinged door. The painting on the door's interior is of a saint holding a cross/spear and riding on a white horse. The main panel depicts Mary in a blue robe holding the Christ child, flanked by archangels. A hole in a suspension loop is burned through. The exterior is painted and lightly incised with concentric rectangles in blue, red and yellow with four leaf x in centers.
label: Provenance
content: Ciro Taddeo, Arlington, Virginia, acquired Addis Ababa, 1972-1998 to 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: equestrian
label: Topic
content: mother and child
label: Topic
content: geometric motif
label: Topic
content: horse
label: Topic
content: angel
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African Art Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Ciro R. Taddeo in honor of Dr. Elisabeth-Dorothea Hecht, Ph. D. Conservation of this artwork supported by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2003-7-1
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Distemper and gesso on wood
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 10.5 x 14.7 x 1.7 cm (4 1/8 x 5 13/16 x 11/16 in.) (open)