File:Ethiopian, Illuminated Manuscript, 18th century.jpg

English: Ethiopian

Illuminated Manuscript, 18th century Vellum, tempera, and leather binding 32 x 22 x 6 cm. (12 5/8 x 8 11/16 x 2 3/8 in.) Gift of Frank Jewett Mather Jr. Place made: Ethiopia y1951-28

The Ethiopian Christian community traces its roots to the fourth century, when the emperor of Aksum converted to Christianity. Shortly afterward, Christian texts were translated into Ge’ez, the liturgical language of Ethiopia, and new religious tracts were composed. This illuminated manuscript contains songs of the prophets, praises of Mary, psalms, and prayers, as well as legendary and apocryphal accounts of Mary. Of exceptional quality, it likely was manufactured at the royal scriptorium in the capital, Gondar. A hand-drawn image included with the manuscript indicates that Emperor Mənilək II may have acquired it to give to his wife, Queen Taytu Betul have represented the triumph of good over evil in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church since the thirteenth century.