Details

Title

Hunting Scene

Artist/Maker

Ethiopian Artist

Date

nineteenth century

Medium

Tempera and charcoal on cloth

Dimensions

48 3/8 x 30 1/2 inches

Credit

Gift of Sue and Mort Fuller

Accession #

2001.183

On View

Currently not on view

Byzantine, Roman, Arabic, and Judaic elements come together in this distinctively Ethiopian painting. Divided into two registers, it combines sacred and secular imagery. On the lower panel, six hunters shoot at a group of elephants. Above, a winged saint watches over a nobleman and his companions on horseback. Before the 1800s, everyday subjects such as hunting were forbidden to Ethiopian artists working for wealthy members of the ruling class, so artists devoted themselves to religious themes. Since this prohibition was lifted, hunting scenes have become a popular choice of imagery.

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