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Back to previous pageLOT 0376
Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
19TH-20TH CENTURY A.D.
6 3/8 x 4 1/8 in. (168 grams, 16.3 x 10.5 cm).
Comprising forty bound leaves written in Amharic, featuring 'spectacle scripts', small drawings of the Christ's passion, Salomon's seal, Moses' snakes and Patriarchal staff, and other drawings of a double-headed serpent; preserved in the original pouch with bindings. [No Reserve]
PROVENANCE:
From a Brighton bookseller, circa 2000.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Smidt, W., Dege, S., 'Tälsäm' in Encyclopedia Ethiopica, IV, Hamburg, 2011, pp.850-852, figs.1-2, for similar.
FOOTNOTES:
This particular object is sometimes referred to as a talisman or amulet, and also known as a ketãb (document) or metshaf (book). It was used in Ethiopia by priests and common people, not only intended for reading but also for providing protection. It was worn with a rope around the neck or shoulders of the owner.
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