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Triptych Icon, by Unknown, tempera, 1694

Triptych Icon

Unknown

1694

tempera

panel

From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago

Baroque Ethiopian Iconography Baroque Religious

Dominant colour

Overview

Triptych Icon is a 1694 tempera by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.

Who painted this?
Unknown
When & what style?
1694 · Baroque
Where can I see it?
Art Institute of Chicago

About this work

You see three wooden panels tied together with cord: Mary and baby Jesus in the middle, two angels on the sides. This painting comes from Ethiopia’s highlands in the late 1600s. It’s made in a style that was popular at the royal court, with bright colors and lots of gold leaf. The artist painted it on linen, then glued the cloth to wood—unusual for icons at the time. To see more works like this, look up tempera.

The story of this work

Overview

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.

Provenance

Mr. Vesecchi, Milan, Italy [this and the following according to A. Mitrano communicated by Sam Fogg Oct. 24, 2005, documented in curatorial file; and S. Fogg 2005 and 2014]; Mr. Vesecchi and Mrs. Mitrano (died 1997), Milan, Italy; by descent to her son, Andrea Mitrano, Varese, Italy, from 1997 [owner recorded on export documentation Feb. 2005, copy in curatorial file]; sold to Sam Fogg, London, 2005 [copy of export documentation signed by A. Mitrano dated Feb. 2005 in curatorial file; Fogg, 2005, pp. 62-63 ]; sold to the Art Institute, 2006.

Exhibition history

Paris, Pavillon des Arts in association with Tigray Cultural Association, Ethiopia, L'Arche Ethiopienne: Art Chrétien d’Ethiope, Sept. 27, 2000–Jan. 7, 2001; traveled to Girona, Spain, Caixa Foundation, Jan. 23–Mar. 31, 2001, pg. 145. New York, N.Y., Pace Wildenstein Gallery, Art of Ethiopia, Oct. 18–29, 2005, cat. 27. Art Institute of Chicago, The Silk Road and Beyond: Travel, Trade, and Transformation, Sept. 30, 2006–Apr. 22, 2007, pp. 76-78 (ill). New York, The Metropolian Museum of Art, Africa & Byzantium, Nov. 13, 2023-March 3, 2024, cat. 158; Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, April…

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

More by Unknown

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