Above: About 15 of the Ethiopian parchments will remain on
display until June 30th 2011 at Milos Simovic's gallery in NYC.
Tadias Magazine
Art Talk
Published: Saturday, May 14, 2011
New York (Tadias) – Elizabeth Street Fine Arts gallery in New York, which specializes in antiquities and tribal art, is offering a rare opportunity to view old talismanic art of Ethiopia, ranging in price from $4,000 to $16,000 each and dating back to the 18th century.
According to the gallery: “Production of talismanic art was wide spread among the entire Ethiopian population. While mostly within Christian tradition, it also drew heavily from Judaism and Islam and was practiced by all. It was wide spread in Egypt in 10th century. Talismanic art had an uneasy relationship with Orthodox Church, and although it is deeply integrated in its life and traditions, it was often considered idolatry, and while not exactly forbidden, (except in cases of invoking demons etc.) it is often frowned upon. So called “Magic Scrolls” are long rolls of parchment, illuminated by talismanic and figurative images and texts, usually in Ge’ez (Ethiopian liturgical language), of protective prayers, invocations of secret names of God, or sometimes demons. They are produced and used for varied purposes, healing, protection from spells, exorcisms etc. Scrolls are referred to as ya’ branna kitab, “written on skin” in Amharic, asmat or “names” in Ge’ez or ta’lsam, “talisman” in Tigrinya. Scrolls are made for a specific individual by dabtara (an unordained “priest” who studied scriptures, singing and poetry, a practitioner of traditional medicine, magician) and are carried and used by that person extensively. They rarely survive trough few generations of use. The oldest known scroll is recently dated to 16th century, while majority of great surviving scrolls date between late 18th to early 20th century, as do the scrolls in this exhibit.”
The New York Times adds: “Shamans in Ethiopia tried for centuries to cure ailments by naming and ranting against the demons at fault on goatskin scrolls. The calligraphy incantations trailed along vellum strips about six feet long, with illustrations of saints stabbing monsters. The owners would roll up and carry around the protective scrolls, which have turned up in archaeological digs wrapped around corpses. If the spells did appear to have healing effects during the owners’ lifetimes, the vellums sometimes ended up on the market. The original patrons’ names would be scraped away, leaving blanks here and there that suggest censored government documents.”
About 15 of the Ethiopian parchments will remain on display until June 30th 2011 at Milos Simovic’s Elizabeth Street Fine Arts gallery in NoLita.
If You Go:
Elizabeth Street Fine Arts
209 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 212.274.9400
Email: elizabethstreetfinearts@gmail.com
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Related:
Art in Review: Ethiopian Magic Scrolls – ‘Talismanic Art of Ethiopia’ (NYT)
