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THBEthiopian Coptic Hide Panel - St. Michael & Demons
Lot 154a
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 - $2,500
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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. 20th century CE. A monumental Ethiopian protective scroll panel, vividly painted on hide and set within a gilt frame, its surface divided into illustrated registers interwoven with dense Ge'ez script prayers. The composition follows the ancient Ethiopian tradition of talismanic scrolls, in which sacred images and invocations are prescribed by spiritual healers to shield an individual from harm. Such scrolls are deeply personal, their prayers tailored to the recipient, often with content determined by the bearer's astrological sign, a belief system rooted both in Ethiopian Christian tradition and in concepts reaching back to ancient Greek astrology. The iconography alternates between intricate talismanic "seals" and vivid figural depictions of saints, angels, and archangels in their eternal struggle against demonic forces. Size of painting: 31" W x 39" H (78.7 cm x 99.1 cm); of frame: 38.5" W x 46" H (97.8 cm x 116.8 cm)
These geometric seals, patterned with interlaced lines, stylized faces, and radiating eyes, are modeled after the Seal of God revealed to King Solomon, intended to summon divine intervention and repel evil. At the heart of the imagery is St. Michael the Archangel, shown mounted and armed, triumphing over a bound demon - his role as celestial protector rendered with bold outlines and jewel-like colors.
Other registers feature seraphim with outspread wings, richly robed saints holding crosses, and apotropaic angels bearing blessing gestures. Opposite these are menacing demonic figures - one rendered in a startling mask-like visage with bulging eyes, another with horned head, fanged mouth, and bat-like wings - visual embodiments of spiritual threats. The script, densely inscribed in black and red, carries prayers for protection, exorcism, and intercession, its rhythmic placement reinforcing the spiritual cadence of the imagery.
This work stands at the intersection of text and image, liturgy and talisman, personal devotion and public declaration. While most Ethiopian scrolls are made in portable, narrow formats to be carried by their owners, this unusually large and elaborately painted example suggests a ceremonial or display use, perhaps for a chapel or the home of a prominent patron. It testifies to the enduring vitality of Ethiopia's Coptic Christian heritage, where ancient iconographic conventions, sacred language, and protective magic continue to converge in art of striking immediacy.
Provenance: private Wichita, Kansas, USA collection
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#196613Mounted in custom matte and frame with suspension wire on verso for display. Professionally repaired with stitches along tears visible in areas. Small tear and area of loss to lower right. Some creasing and wrinkling to hide. Good remaining pigments with clear imagery.Condition
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