CREATOR UNKNOWN

Ethiopia, 1901-1953. MS 103-104

This psalter, or Dawit, is split into two volumes: the first volume is not illuminated and features Psalms 114:3 – 116:3; the second volume features bright and chromatic full-page illuminations and features Psalms 3-27. The first volume does contain illuminations of King David playing the lyre, but they are not integrated to the body of the manuscript and instead are situated in the flyleaves preceding the main text. The second volume features twelve, figural captioned illuminations: The Annunciation, a baptism, King David playing the Harp, two angels with crowns and brandished swords, Madonna and Child, the baptism of Jesus by John, two haloed men (possibly Abuna Takla Haymanot (1918-1988), third patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and Abuna Ewostatewos (1273-1352), an Ethopian saint of the Tewahedo Church), two flying angels with swords, Mary raising the painter who fell from a scaffolding, Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt, Martha and Salome carrying Jesus on the journey to Egypt, and a priest blessing people. In addition to the full-page illuminations, there are a multitude of decorative designs in the margins of the text.

Bibliography

Ethiopian Psalter (Dawit), Ethiopia, 1901-1953. University of Oregon Special Collections & University Archives, MS 103-104.

(103) https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/3uoa1r/CP71308701540001451

(104) https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/3uoa1r/CP71308700940001451