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THBEthiopian Coptic Ge'ez Psalter w/ Stone Relief Covers
Lot 154b
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,500 - $3,000
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| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
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| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
Horn of Africa, Ethiopia, Coptic, ca. early 20th century CE. A remarkable 20th century Ethiopian Coptic psalter or prayer book, handwritten in Ge'ez, the ancient liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. This codex, composed on vellum and bound in tooled leather, contains the Book of Psalms along with additional prayers, each rendered in the distinctive left-to-right Ge'ez script - a rare trait among Semitic languages, likely inherited from the influence of Greek in the Red Sea trade networks and the Christian Kingdom of Aksum, whose ruler Ezana embraced Christianity in 330 CE. Within its well-preserved folios are six full-page painted illustrations of profound devotional resonance, executed in the bold colors, rhythmic outlines, and patterned embellishments characteristic of Ethiopian sacred art. Subjects include the Madonna and Child, Christ preaching, Christ walking on water, the Archangel Michael, and the Crucifixion. Size: 3.9" L x 2" W x 5.1" H (9.9 cm x 5.1 cm x 13 cm)
A petite black cord tied to the upper right edge of each illustrated leaf allows the faithful to quickly locate these images during worship. The covers are each inset with a carved stone relief panel - the front depicting Saint Michael in high relief, with nimbus and outspread wings, the reverse featuring a bearded saint with hands raised in the orans position, an ancient gesture of prayer. These sculpted icons not only sanctify the manuscript externally but also act as protective talismans for its sacred contents.
Ethiopian manuscript production flourished in monastic scriptoria from the 14th through the 16th centuries, with later traditions carrying forward both the stylistic and spiritual heritage of that golden age. This example, though of later date, preserves that lineage - a synthesis of Judeo-Christian iconography, sub-Saharan visual traditions, and subtle Islamic influences, resulting in a devotional object that is as much a work of art as it is a vessel of scripture.
Provenance: private Wichita, Kansas, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#196607Binding is peeling and loose with chips and fraying Robbing with losses to cover and staining to pages; a few with small areas of loss. Text and imagery are very clear with good pigments.Condition
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