MAKE A MEME
View Large Image
| View Original: | Ethiopian_-_Processional_Cross_-_Walters_542891.jpg (1268x1800) | |||
| Download: | Original | Medium | Small | Thumb |
| Courtesy of: | commons.wikimedia.org | More Like This | ||
| Keywords: Ethiopian - Processional Cross - Walters 542891.jpg The complicated design of this cross must have presented a considerable challenge to its creator who cast its body in one piece Simple incised borders sharpen and distinguish the individual components of the object These lines which were probably added freehand provide a texture that animates the surface of the entire cross The numerous perforations create an intricate silhouette but also serve the practical function of conserving material and minimizing weight The shaft perhaps a later edition was riveted to the base The foliate decoration of the cross which simultaneously suggests birds and vegetation creates a complex pattern around the small cross at the center In Ethiopian art birds often serve as heralds of the Resurrection and their evocation here is therefore appropriate The multiple projections further strengthen the allusion to the rejuvenating power of the cross as their tendril-like repetition conveys a sense of organic growth The additional presence of three smaller crosses at the terminal points of the object reiterates this idea; the crosses spring like young buds from their supporting extensions century 12 13 Solomonic cast bronze cm 25 4 19 19 accession number 54 2891 34875 Knopfelmacher Collection Knopfelmacher 8 New York William Wright Gallery New York Walters Art Museum 1996 by purchase Museum purchase with funds provided by the W Alton Jones Foundation Acquisition Fund 1996 Ethiopian Art at The Walters The Walters Art Gallery Baltimore 1996 Angels of Light Ethiopian Art from the Walters Art Museum Birmingham Museum of Art Birmingham; Smith College Museum of Art Northampton; Museum of Biblical Art New York 2006-2007 place of origin Lasta Ethiopia Walters Art Museum license Art of Ethiopia in the Walters Art Museum Crosses from Ethiopia Media contributed by the Walters Art Museum needs category review | ||||
