Enquiry about object: 9400
Ethiopian Wooden Hand Cross
Ethiopia circa 17th century
length: 32.7cm, width: 7.7cm, depth: 1.7cm, weight: 122g
Provenance
private collection, UK
This fine, elongated hand cross has been carved from a single piece of wood. It has been carved on both sides. It has the most splendid patina and very obvious, significant age.
The head and shaft have been carved with interlocking ‘endless’ or Solomon’s knot motifs. The sides of the shaft have been carved with a zig-zag pattern.
The shaft ends in a rectangular, carved, counter-balance that ends with a trefoil finial.
Hand crosses are a defining emblem of the Ethiopian priesthood. They were used as emblems of position as well as the vehicle to dispense blessings during eucharistic services and during processions.
Often they were highly personalised objects and even carved by the clergy themselves. According to Myers Achi (2023, p. 232) some of the earliest written references to wood crosses date to the end of the 15th century.
The complexity of this cross and its extraordinary patina from perhaps hundreds of years of use have charged with holy power.
The cross is accompanied by an attractive, custom-made black metal display stand.
References
Biasio, E., Majesty and Magnificence at the Court of Menelik: Alfred Ilg’s Ethiopia around 1900, Verlag Nueue Zurcher Zeitung, 2004.
Mercier, J., Art of Ethiopia: From the Origins to the Golden Century, Editions Place des Victoires, 2021.
Myers Achi, A., Africa and Byzantium, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023.
di Salvo, M., Crosses of Ethiopia: The Sign of Faith, Evolution and Form, Skira, 2006.
