What the record shows
This painting of St. Abbo hangs directly above the one shown in the preceding photographs. The painting has all the necessary elements, right down to the lions, leopards, and fluttering little bird, but it seems more austere than the example below. And yet, aren't those resting lions and leopards darling? Unlike other versions of this painting, this St. Abbo is holding a hand cross (which looks more Latin than Ethiopian) in one hand, and a golden chain in the other. Also, he seems to be wearing headgear of some sort, which I don't think I've seen in other paintings of St. Abbo. I'm sure there's some significance to the chains draping St. Abbo, but I don't know what it is. In this painting, the chains seem to be supporting stones, so perhaps they represent a form of pennance. This photo shows yet another example of the gorgeous gauzy fabrics that cover sacred paintings in Ethiopian Orthod
- Date
- Not recorded in the catalogue
- Object type
- hand cross
- Recorded place
- Ethiopia