Skip to Content
Today Open today 10–11 members | 11–5 public

Triptych Icon

A three-part panel featuring a variety of scenes, vertically stacked and richly painted. The central panel features the Virgin Mary and and Child flanked by archangels Gabriel and Michael, twelve disciples below them in grid formation.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A three-part panel featuring a variety of scenes, vertically stacked and richly painted. The central panel features the Virgin Mary and and Child flanked by archangels Gabriel and Michael, twelve disciples below them in grid formation.

Date:

Late 17th century

Artist:

Central Ethiopia
Eastern and Southern Africa

About this artwork

Although Orthodox Christianity has been practiced in the highlands of Ethiopia since the 4th century, this elaborate triptych is rendered in the courtly First Gonderine style, which flourished during the reign of King Iyyasu I (1682–1706) and incorporated bold, richly decorated forms and figures. With its central panel featuring the Virgin Mary and child Jesus flanked by archangels Gabriel and Michael, this icon reflects the popularity of Marian worship within the Ethiopian liturgy.

Status

On loan

Department

Arts of Africa

Title

Triptych Icon

Place

Ethiopia (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1682–1706

Medium

Tempera on linen, mounted on wood and bound with cord

Dimensions

67 × 74 cm (26 3/8 × 29 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Director's Fund

Reference Number

2006.11

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/185651/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share