Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Gondarine sensul
(Ethiopia, Manuscripts and Rare Books)
This Ethopian sensul, or "chain" manuscript, was made in the seventeenth century in the Gondarine region. It was created out of a single folded strip of parchment attached to heavy hide "boards" at each end, creating a small book when folded. Comprised solely of inscribed images, this pocket-sized manuscript would have served a devotional function for its owner, who while unidentified, inscribed the first image with a note reminding people under the threat of excommunication not to steal or erase the manuscript. Narrative illuminations, which tell the story of the Virgin Mary, allow for private meditation. The book can also function as something of an icon, for when it is opened to the middle and stood on end, the facing figures of St. George and the Virgin and Child form a small diptych, resembling other icons of this era.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Robert and Nancy Nooter Collection, Washington, D.C., before 1996, and mode of acquisition unknown] [Nooter 20.4]; Walters Art Museum, 1996, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 2009 | Shrunken Treasures: Miniaturization in Books and Art. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2006-2007 | 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. |
| 1996 | Ethiopian Art at The Walters. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Ethiopia, Gondar
(Place of Origin)
Ethiopia (Kid-Friendly)
Measurements
H: 3 x W unfolded: 23 in. (7.62 x 58.42 cm); H each panel: 3 5/8 x W: 3 1/8 in. (9.2 x 9 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds provided by the W. Alton Jones Foundation Acquisition Fund, 1996
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
36.10
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Related Objects
Binding from Gondarine sensul. Upper board inside: Joachim and Anna presenting Mary to the temple; Lower board inside: Mary enthroned.
The Covenant that earned Mary the name Kidana Mhrat, or "Pact/Covenant of Mercy"
