Marian devotion in 19th-century Ge'ez

[Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity]. Tä'ammerä Maryam [The Miracles of Mary].

€ 45.000,00

A monumental, uncommonly substantial Ge'ez manuscript of the Miracles of Mary. This pulpit-sized work comprises no fewer than 188 miracle stories, a number reached by less than one percent of extant Tä'ammerä Maryam manuscripts (we gratefully acknowledge the help of Professor Wendy Belcher of Princeton University in cataloguing this item). Still in an early or even original binding, it features six finely painted full-page illustrations in the Second Gondarene style of the mid-18th century, though in fact they form a more recent 20th century addition. These miniatures were apparently commissioned by a wealthy husband and wife who are seen in the first painting, both prostrated below an image of the Holy Trinity flanked by the symbols of the Evangelists. The manuscript itself records the names of two devout sponsors: a woman named Walatta Takla Haymanot and a man, likely her husband, named Gabrar Kidane Mariam.

The "Miracles of Mary" is a deeply important and particularly revered text in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church; it became part of the ancient Ge'ez manuscript tradition in the 14th century, when the collection of Marian miracle stories was translated into Ge'ez, the liturgical language of Ethiopia and Eritrea. A similar copy to this one is held by the British Royal Collection Trust.

The six illustrations are quite skillfully executed, bright and vivid, showing familiar scenes: the Archangel Michael stands triumphant over a cowering Satan, Saint George slays the dragon. The final three show the Madonna and Child, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection, in which Jesus holds a staff with the colours of the Ethiopian flag, while at his feet are Adam and Eve, and the sleeping Roman soldiers guarding his tomb; as usual, he is only shown in profile.

The sponsors are placed visually at the head of the manuscript, but a third figure also has an association with this text, which mentions the name Abune Gabre Medhin. 'Abune' is the honorific term translated as 'Church Father' or 'Patriarch', and could refer to a previous owner or the scribe who produced this large and beautiful work.