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Diptych with Twelve Apostles & St. Paul
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Depicting 13 holy men, this diptych (two-panel painting) is sized for an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian church or elite home. It is painted in the bold, colorful style associated with royal court workshops from the early 1600s to the mid-1700s. Painter Wäldä Maryam (or someone he trained) set this scene of Christ’s apostles in the context of his homeland. Each saint wears fashionable clothing imported from India. While they are posed and dressed similarly to emphasize their group identity, the artist portrayed their faces and hairstyles individually. Captions in Ge’ez––an eastern African language dating to the 400s BCE––identify each by name.
| Artist / Maker | Workshop or Circle of Wäldä Maryam |
|---|---|
| Date | c. 1700 |
| Culture / Origin | Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, presumably Gondär |
| Medium | Tempera, wood, textile |
| Dimensions | 39 x 51 cm (15 3/8 x 20 1/16 in.) |
| Department | African Art |
| Type | Painting |
About the Artist
Workshop or Circle of Wäldä Maryam (Ethiopia, active mid- to late 1600s-early 1700s) Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
Shipping & Collection
Fine-art shipping with climate control and full insurance to over 120 countries; collection by appointment.
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