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Details
LOT 0376
Ethiopian Vellum Manuscript of Talismanic Texts
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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