Orthodox Christian icon on panel (Ethiopia)

The Christian religion spread to Axum (capital of the mythical kingdom of Sheba) in the mid IV century, under King Ezana, who converted from polytheism to monotheism and then to Christianity. In the V and VI centuries, Syrian monks (whom tradition identifies as the ‘Nine Saints’ and the ‘Righteous Ones’) travelled to the kingdom to spread the new faith. Ethiopians, moreover, proudly claim to descend directly from the Solomonic dynasty through Menilek, son of Azieb (or Makeda), Queen of Saba, and King Solomon of Israel. There is no doubt that Ethiopian icon art is related to that of the Eastern tradition, particularly the Greek-Byzantine tradition, whose sacred iconography it retains, while paying much attention to the figures of local saints and anchorites. The production of icons, however, would only have started or had a strong impulse from the XV century onwards, under Emperor Zara Yacob, thanks to the arrival of foreign artists, especially Italians. Stylistically, the kinship with Eastern icons is also quite close, although Ethiopian icons, as in the present case, differ in the use of joyful colours and the introduction of pagan symbols, in this case the sun and the moon. Rather than suggesting a form of syncretism, these symbols fit perfectly into the Christian-based representation, giving an exquisitely Ethiopian touch to the work.