Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 4 pages
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
This twentieth-century Ethiopian prayerbook is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and its miracles, and contains readings for each day of the week. The text might have been composed by Takla Maryam, whose name appears on fol. 13r. The author felt that the Trinity was not worshipped and celebrated as it should be, not even as much as the martyrs, the angels, and the desert fathers. The manuscript itself was owned by Gabra Mikael (fols. 21v, 52v, and passim). It still retains its double leather satchel, complete with the remains of a carrying strap, which suggests that it may have been taken on pilgrimages. Small bits of colored thread have been attached to the corners of the first folios of the readings, an unusual solution to helping the reader navigate the text. Written in Ge'ez, Ethiopia's liturgical language, the manuscript appears to have been originally undecorated, with knot work added to the upper margins of the first two readings at a later date.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
22752
label
Ethiopian Prayer Book
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
4
Source metadata
id
22752
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Ethiopian Prayer Book
description
This twentieth-century Ethiopian prayerbook is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and its miracles, and contains readings for each day of the week. The text might have been composed by Takla Maryam, whose name appears on fol. 13r. The author felt that the Trinity was not worshipped and celebrated as it should be, not even as much as the martyrs, the angels, and the desert fathers. The manuscript itself was owned by Gabra Mikael (fols. 21v, 52v, and passim). It still retains its double leather satchel, complete with the remains of a carrying strap, which suggests that it may have been taken on pilgrimages. Small bits of colored thread have been attached to the corners of the first folios of the readings, an unusual solution to helping the reader navigate the text. Written in Ge'ez, Ethiopia's liturgical language, the manuscript appears to have been originally undecorated, with knot work added to the upper margins of the first two readings at a later date.
provenance
Gäbrä Mika'el, mid-twentieth century [mode of acquisition unknown]; Gabra Mika'el Wubnah [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1976, by purchase.
date
mid 20th century (Modern)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
illuminated manuscripts
imageCount
4
pageCount
4
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
13.1
height
9.9
dimensionsRaw
H: 5 3/16 x W: 3 7/8 in. (13.1 x 9.9 cm)
Source extras
cul
Christian Highland Ethiopian
style
Ethiopian
RelatedObjects
87629
87631
87630
21324
6811
med
ink on heavy, slightly yellowed parchment; colored thread attached to corners of folios to mark the beginnings of readings, wooden boards with two-part leather satchel
creator_ids
31602
collection_ids
ETH
MSS
exhibition_ids
1958
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
a0290eedad43c1ed
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
d38587c32195d01e
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
3f2f76eed56ef09b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
1f5a26cc67b44bd0
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no