17th Century Tribal Art

Pre-Columbian Nicoya pottery bowl from the Costa Rican Guanacaste Province, made in the 17th century. A round-bottomed red clay bowl painted with geometric designs and natural pigmen...

A large and unusual wood and leather hand cross. Ethiopian hand crosses are coveted by collectors of medieval art, religious art and tribal art for their beauty and variety of forms. Ethiopia was probably the second country after Armenia to embrace the Christian faith. There is evidence that Christianity thrived in the country even in the 1st century and for most of the country's history since, the state religion has been Orthodox Christianity. After the invasion of Ahmed Gra'an in the 16th century, and the devastation of Ethiopian highlands, wooden crosses often replaced metal ones even in less remote regions, replicating irrigate patterns of metal artistry in more available material. This example is an unusual square style. Another hand cross of this type can be found in collection of the IES Museum in Addis Ababa and probably originates from Gojam Province, Western Ethiopia. Ethiopian crosses...

‘Horn of Lamb of God’ wooden hand cross, circa 17 century, Northern Ethiopia Ethiopian hand crosses are coveted by collectors of medieval art, religious art and tribal art for their beauty and variety of forms. Ethiopia was probably the second country after Armenia to embrace the Christian faith. There is evidence that Christianity thrived in the country even in the 1st century and for most of the country's history since, the state religion has been Orthodox Christianity. After the invasion of Ahmed Gra'an in the 16th century, and the devastation of Ethiopian highlands, wooden crosses often replaced metal ones even in less remote regions, replicating irrigate patterns of metal artistry in more available material. This example is an unusual square style. Another hand cross of this type can be found in collection of the IES Museum in Addis Ababa and probably originates from Gojam Province, Western Ethiopia. Ethiopian crosses...

A large and fine liturgical hand cross. Ethiopian hand crosses are coveted by collectors of medieval art, religious art and tribal art for their beauty and variety of forms. Ethiopia was probably the second country after Armenia to embrace the Christian faith. There is evidence that Christianity thrived in the country even in the 1st century and for most of the country's history since, the state religion has been Orthodox Christianity. After the invasion of Ahmed Gra'an in the 16th century, and the devastation of Ethiopian highlands, wooden crosses often replaced metal ones even in less remote regions, replicating irrigate patterns of metal artistry in more available material. This example is a large liturgical wooden hand cross with pigments from Tigray, Ethiopia. The style is typical of the Northern Ethiopian province of Tigray from 1700 on. These larger long shafted hand crosses would usually be used within church ceremonies for blessing the faithful and were often confined to more remote monastic settings. Ethiopian crosses are unique among Christian art for their variety of form. Ethiopian crosses are invariably made from elaborate lattice work. Hand-held crosses usually include a square at the base, which represents the Ark of the Covenant. Geometric patterns are common in Ethiopian art...