Bound Manuscript: The Miracles of Mary (Te'amire Maryam)
1667–1706
- Medium
- Parchment, ink, tempera, wood, leather, cotton, and string
- Dimensions
- Box: 40.1 × 36.9 × 12.7 cm (15 3/4 × 14 1/2 × 5 in.)
- Genre
- Manuscript
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
religionleatherbookbindingpaintcotton (textile)inkritualwriting (processes)string (fiber product)manuscriptDevotionprocessionEastern and Southern AfricaVirgin and child/Madonna and childpainting (image making)cord (fiber product)parchmentVirgin Marywood (plant material)african Artarts of Africagondarleatherworkingbooktempera
About
Created under King Yohannes (1667–1682) or King Iyyasu I (1682–1706), this manuscript in the First Gonderine style—with bold outlines and a rich palette—includes 32 painted scenes narrating the miracles performed by the Virgin Mary, a series intended to guide weekly devotion. These codified ‘Miracles of Mary’ became one of the most popular themes for religious books after the intensification of Marian worship in the mid-15th century.