Processional Cross

Description This rare, early cross is composed of two central crosses enclosed within a pear-shaped frame. A similar pear-shaped cross in Addis Ababa (capital of modern Ethiopia) has at its center the crucified Christ, reflecting the larger meaning of the "pear" shape as a type of "mandorla" (almond-shaped halo) used to glorify images of the Lord.

Exhibitions

• Ethiopian Art at The Walters. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1996.
• Art that Heals: The Image as Medicine in Ethiopia. Museum for African Art, New York; The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1997.
• Angels of Light: Ethiopian Art from the Walters Art Museum. Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton; Museum of Biblical Art, New York. 2006-2007.

Provenance Knopfelmacher Collection [Knopfelmacher 1], New York; William Wright Gallery, New York; Walters Art Museum, 1996, by purchase.

Credit Museum purchase with funds provided by the W. Alton Jones Foundation Acquisition Fund, 1996