Gospel book from Dabra Hayq Estifanos
Date:
Late fourteenth or early fifteenth century
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Ethiopia
Dimensions:
41.9 × 28.6 cm
Description:
This Gospel from the monastery of Dabra Hayq Estifanos, beside Lake Hayq in Ethiopia, is written in Ge'ez, a classical language that was no longer spoken at the time. It preserves its original wooden binding and includes evangelist portraits as well as twenty full-page scenes from the life of Christ. It may have been a gift to the monastery from a member of Ethiopia's ruling elite. The full-page narrative illustrations would have been visible when to book was carried and displayed during liturgical processions.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
10
Repository and Online Resources:
• See more pages from this manuscript on the website of the Metropolitan Museum.
Image Credits:
See more pages from this manuscript on the website of the Metropolitan Museum.
