Icon
Ethiopian Orthodox style
Late 19th century
Distemper and gesso on wood
73-24-1, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Donald F. Miller

Left panel
top
Christ's Descent into Limbo, Adam and Eve
middle
Covenant of Mercy
bottom
St. George and the dragon

Center panel
top
Mary and the Christ child flanked by the archangels Michael and Gabriel
bottom
Apostles with hand crosses

Right panel
top
Crucifixion with Mary and St. John the Evangelist
center
Abba Takla Haymanot
bottom
Abba Ewostatewos, Abba Gabra Manfas Queddus

Certain features of this late 19th-century icon recall and combine styles and symbols from a much earlier period. St. George, for example, is slaying a serpent rather than a dragon, and Mary faces the viewer in a plain blue robe, the folds of which are depicted by a heavy linear overlay in a contrasting color. The Ethiopian saints, whose specific identifications vary, are drawn in the style of 17th-century icons. The emphasis on decorative patterning is typical of later icons.

Translations (words in "quotes") of Ge'ez inscriptions found on the icons are courtesy Daniel Berhanemeskel.