ETHIOPIAN MISSIONARY STORY BOOK

Ethiopian Missionary Story Book (Carved stone, 3 separate pieces inscribed on both sides and connected with string; opens to depict four Christian scenes, antique.). Size (when closed): 3.5” x 2.5”

Description:

Scenes involve the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ as well as Saint George who appears on horseback slaying the dragon. This combination of saints was extremely popular in Ethiopian religious painting, and served to emphasize the close relationship between the Virgin Mary and Saint George, the soldier of God who was her constant companion.

“From Monastery of Lake Tana, Ethiopia. This was a religious center with 20 monasteries and churches on its islands and shores. Tradition says that St. Mary rested for three months at Tana Cherkos on her flight to Egypt. This same island is sacred to the Jews. After fleeing Solomon with the Ark of the Covenant, Menelik I and a group of Jewish nobles are said to have brought the Ark to Tana Cherkos where it was kept for six centuries before being taken to Axum. // … Books owned by monks, priests ad lay church officials,…had to be small enough to be worn or carried through the parish and on pilgrimages over precipitous Ethiopian Terrain.” —from Miniature Book News, No. 89, Page 11, June 1996

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This story book also bears similarities to a “Double Diptych Icon Pendant, early 18^th century, Amhara or Tigrinya peoples” in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Visit the MET LINK but here’s its text for convenience:

Double Diptych Icon Pendant, early 18th century

Amhara or Tigrinya peoples 

In the seventeenth century, Ethiopian artists were increasingly exposed to forms of expression from Europe. During this period, double-sided diptychs became popular among the nobility as pendant icons worn suspended by a cord around the neck. The subject matter depicted on this example is a standard program for this genre of personal icon, as are the intricately carved cruciform designs that enhance the exterior surfaces of the protective covers.

This icon is a classic example of the painting style developed during the late seventeenth century at Gondar, the trading center where King Fasiladas (r. 1632–67) established his capital. Portrayed frontally with slightly turned heads and simple, iconic gestures, the figures are superimposed upon neutral backgrounds. Bodies are delineated with thick black outlines, while faces are composed of flat areas of pink and orange. Curving lines and attenuated arcs are employed to evoke the folds of draped robes and mantles.

The double-sided pendant contains four painted surfaces depicting Christian subject matter. On one side of the main panel, the Virgin Mary appears seated, holding Christ and flanked by archangels carrying swords. Grasping the Book of the Gospel and making a gesture of benediction, the Christ Child gazes lovingly at his mother, who in turn stares out toward the viewer. On the outer panel (the interior surface of the cover), Saint George appears on horseback slaying the dragon. This combination of saints was extremely popular in Ethiopian religious painting, and served to emphasize the close relationship between the Virgin Mary and Saint George, the soldier of God who was her constant companion. The opposite side of the icon illustrates the Crucifixion, with Mary and Saint John standing sorrowfully to either side of Christ. The outer panel illustrates the Resurrection, in which a monumental Christ raises the diminutive figures of Adam and Eve by their arms. A flag of victory to Christ's right indicates this triumph over death.

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Provenance: This story book is from the Antiquarian Miniature Book Collection of Virginia Stoody of Whittier, California. Book-loving dealer Karen Nyman’s catalog

Virginia was a curious person with broad interests.  She was a world traveler and visited over 100 countries, collecting paintings and bronzes, Native American jewelry, miniature tea cups, and 1000s of books.  In the 1950s, she began ardently collecting miniature books and continued until she died in 1984.  She chose the finest examples of antiquarian and modern books, buying primarily from Louis Bondy and Dawson’s Book Shop.

Highlights of her antiquarian book collection include the famous Galileo a Madama Cristina di Lorena (1615), The Infant’s Library, The Whole Book of Psalms in Meter, The Mite, My Tiny Alphabet Book and a fabulous manuscript titled Bridle Paths.  She had books with silver covers, mother-of-pearl covers inlaid with silver, illustrated children’s books, Ethiopian manuscripts, lockets, photo books and many almanacs and calendars.  Her travels allowed her to buy books from all over Europe, Africa and Asia.

—from Catalog 84 of Karen Nyman, May 2020