Details

LOT 2046

Post Medieval Coptic Silvered Cross Pendant

ETHIOPIA, 20TH CENTURY A.D.

2 in. (18.3 grams, 50 mm).

Cross botonny with suspension loop, ring-and-dot to centre of obverse. [No Reserve]

Provenance

From an old Lincoln, UK, collection, 1950s-1970s.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.

Literature

See Wlodzimierz Grzegorz Winkler, W.G., Piekarska-Winkler, D., ‘Krzyże Etiopii: orientalna ewolucja na obrzeżach Kościola’ in Saeculum Christianum, 15 (2008), nr.1, pp.101-108.

Footnotes

The pectoral cross, also called the neck cross, is much smaller in the Orthodox Ethiopian world (and in general in all Orthodox world) than both the processional and the priests' cross. These crosses, secured by a blue string or cord, adorn the necks of the faithful. Many people receive their pectoral cross at baptism. They are made from a range of materials: bronze, silver, iron, horn, and occasionally gold. The richness of ornaments and the complex structure of Ethiopian crosses give a picture of an extraordinary culture, that of one of the world’s oldest Christian societies. The ornaments and forms of the crosses of Ethiopia are unique and instantly recognisable.