GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Processional crosses have been in use in Ethiopia since at least the 12th century. They are commonly made of bronze, or less commonly, of iron or silver, and cast by the lost-wax process. In the Ethiopian Orthodox liturgy, processional crosses play a fundamental role: during worship, priests use the crosses, mounted on poles, to bless the congregation, the baptismal water, the sacraments, and the four corners of the church. When taken out of the church and carried in religious processions, their pierced designs create dramatic silhouettes against the sky.
As the only liturgical object visible to worshippers during the celebration of mass, Ethiopian processional crosses tend to be elaborate. Various frames and finials often adorn the central cross, which may be further enriched with incised or stamped decoration.
Drawn from
- Jacopo Gnisci, "Crosses from Ethiopia at the Dallas Museum of Art: An Overview," African Arts 51, no. 4 (Winter 2018): 48–55.
- Roslyn A. Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009), 264-266.
- C. Griffith Mann, "The Role of the Cross in Ethiopian Culture," in Ethiopian Art: the Walters Art Museum, ed. Deborah E. Horowitz (Surrey: Third Millennium Publishing, 2001), 75.
- Csilla Fabo Perczel, "Art and Liturgy: Abyssinian Processional Crosses," Northeast African Studies 5.1 (1983): 19-28.
NOTES
Processional crosses: 1991.352.3, 1991.352.30
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Abyssinian (African styles and periods by national designation): AAT: 300312134
Ethiopian Orthodox (Oriental Orthodox): TAA: 300262472
Geography
Ethiopia (nation): TGN: 7000489
Process/materials
bronze: AAT: 300010957
incising: AAT: 300053847
Lost-wax process: AAT: 300053113
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
apotropaic: DMA
Christianity: AAT: 300073711
crosses (motifs): AAT: 300010044
crosses (visual works): AAT: 300235443
religious objects: AAT: 300234098
priests: AAT: 300025774
finials: AAT: 300002280
masses (eucharists): AAT:300379721
Greek crosses (motifs): AAT: 300010071
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
By at least 1966: Dr. Kenneth Redden (d. 1998), Charlottesville, Virginia, gift of Emperor Haile Selassie [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Dr. Hebe Redden and Dr. Kenneth Redden
The main source for this provenance is Roslyn A. Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009), 266. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] Jacopo Gnisci, "Crosses from Ethiopia at the Dallas Museum of Art: An Overview," DMA Unpublished material, 1. (Copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Record Object File). Gnisci's research shows that Dr. Kenneth Redden and Dr. Hebe Redden were listed as lenders of three Ethiopian crosses for a 1966 exhibition organized by the Musée Dynamique in Dakar and the Grand Palais in Paris.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
188990822: UMO
Processional crosses in use during Timkat (Epiphany) festival, Lalibela, Ethiopia, 1999.
WEB RESOURCES
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read more about Ethiopian processional crosses.
- YouTube (Associated Press Archive)~See processional crosses in use during Timkat (Epiphany) celebrations in Gondor, Ethiopia.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1991.352.43
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
Processional crosses have been in use in Ethiopia since at least the 12th century. They are commonly made of bronze, or less commonly, of iron or silver, and cast by the lost-wax process. In the Ethiopian Orthodox liturgy, processional crosses play a fundamental role: during worship, priests use the crosses, mounted on poles, to bless the congregation, the baptismal water, the sacraments, and the four corners of the church. When taken out of the church and carried in religious processions, their pierced designs create dramatic silhouettes against the sky.
As the only liturgical object visible to worshippers during the celebration of mass, Ethiopian processional crosses tend to be elaborate. Various frames and finials often adorn the central cross, which may be further enriched with incised or stamped decoration.
Drawn from
- Jacopo Gnisci, "Crosses from Ethiopia at the Dallas Museum of Art: An Overview," African Arts 51, no. 4 (Winter 2018): 48–55.
- Roslyn A. Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009), 264-266.
- C. Griffith Mann, "The Role of the Cross in Ethiopian Culture," in Ethiopian Art: the Walters Art Museum, ed. Deborah E. Horowitz (Surrey: Third Millennium Publishing, 2001), 75.
- Csilla Fabo Perczel, "Art and Liturgy: Abyssinian Processional Crosses," Northeast African Studies 5.1 (1983): 19-28.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read more about Ethiopian processional crosses.
- YouTube (Associated Press Archive)~See processional crosses in use during Timkat (Epiphany) celebrations in Gondor, Ethiopia.
Notes
Processional crosses: 1991.352.3, 1991.352.30
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Abyssinian (African styles and periods by national designation): AAT: 300312134
Ethiopian Orthodox (Oriental Orthodox): TAA: 300262472
Geography
Ethiopia (nation): TGN: 7000489
Process/materials
bronze: AAT: 300010957
incising: AAT: 300053847
Lost-wax process: AAT: 300053113
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
apotropaic: DMA
Christianity: AAT: 300073711
crosses (motifs): AAT: 300010044
crosses (visual works): AAT: 300235443
religious objects: AAT: 300234098
priests: AAT: 300025774
finials: AAT: 300002280
masses (eucharists): AAT:300379721
Greek crosses (motifs): AAT: 300010071
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
By at least 1966: Dr. Kenneth Redden (d. 1998), Charlottesville, Virginia, gift of Emperor Haile Selassie [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Dr. Hebe Redden and Dr. Kenneth Redden
The main source for this provenance is Roslyn A. Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009), 266. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] Jacopo Gnisci, "Crosses from Ethiopia at the Dallas Museum of Art: An Overview," DMA Unpublished material, 1. (Copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Record Object File). Gnisci's research shows that Dr. Kenneth Redden and Dr. Hebe Redden were listed as lenders of three Ethiopian crosses for a 1966 exhibition organized by the Musée Dynamique in Dakar and the Grand Palais in Paris.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1991.352.43
source file
object_notes_1_a-0481.xml.nores