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an ornate gold cross on a wooden stick against a black backgrounda gold cross on a wooden stick with a black backgroundan ornate gold cross on a wooden stick against a black background
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85 - PROCESSIONAL CROSS ETHIOPIAN ART, MID-15?? CENTURY Gilded br…
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Estimate €1,500 - €2,000
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Description
PROCESSIONAL CROSS ETHIOPIAN ART, MID-15?? CENTURY Gilded bronze 49 x 38 cm (19¹?? × 15 in.) (Historical restorations (riveted plates) and modern restorations (copper wire)) A processional cross, Ethiopian art, mid-15?? century We would like to thank Mr Jacques Mercier, an Ethiopian art historian, for writing this description. Provenance: Collection of Jean-Jacques Rotthier (1932–2009), Brussels, then passed down through the family  The reign of Zär’a-Yaeqob (1432–1468) saw the production of large-scale processional crosses (lozenge-shaped or pattée) which honoured the Cross by multiplying its image both positively and in openwork through a repeated interlaced pattern. This cross is the most sophisticated example of its kind. A cross of identical shape, cast using the lost-wax technique by the same goldsmith, is in use at the Monastery of Saint Cyriacus on Lake Tana. A cross of almost identical shape, bearing the inscription ‘… in the days of King Zär’a-Ya‘eqob …’ at its centre, is held at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies (inv. 7118) in Addis Ababa. Side 1: Inscription: ‘ The cross of Zär’a-Yohannes, who donated it to [the monastery of] Däbrä-Mädhanit”. Side 2: Inscription: “May whoever steals it and whoever damages it be anathematised by the mouths of Peter and Paul”. A PROCESSIONAL CROSS ETHIOPIAN ART, MID-15?? CENTURY Gilt bronze 19¹?? × 15 in. (With old restorations (riveted plates) and more recent restorations (copper wire)) We would like to thank Mr Jacques Mercier, a specialist in Ethiopian art history, for authoring this catalogue entry. Provenance: Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent The reign of Zär’a Ya‘eqob (1432–1468) saw the production of large processional crosses—either lozenge-shaped or in the form of a cross pattée—which honoured the Holy Cross by multiplying its image through an intricate network of repeated openwork motifs. This cross is one of the most sophisticated examples of this tradition. A cross of identical form, cast by the same goldsmith using the lost-wax technique, is still in use at the Monastery of Saint Cyriacus on Lake Tana. A nearly identical cross, bearing at its centre the inscription “... in the days of King Zär’a Ya‘eqob ...”, is preserved at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies (inv. 7118) in Addis Ababa. Side 1, inscription: “The Cross of Zär’a Yohannes, who donated it to [the monastery of] Däbrä Mädhanit.” Side 2, inscription: “May whoever steals it and whoever damages it be anathematised by the mouths of Peter and Paul.”
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About the sale The Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection: Art from Africa and Oceania
Auction location
Auction time 09/08/2026 at 4:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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