Arkivism
Single Leaf from a Gospel Book with a Portrait of Saint Luke
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Single Leaf from a Gospel Book with a Portrait of Saint Luke

c. 1440–80 · ink and tempera on vellum

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Christianity arrived in Ethiopia during the 300s CE, well before reaching northern Europe. Typical of panel and manuscript painting in Ethiopia, this leaf is decorated with bright colors and a joyous interplay of geometric pattern. The full-page miniature depicts the evangelist Luke, with his symbol, the ox, within the arch above. The short text is in the Ge‘ez (the centuries-old church language of Ethiopian Orthodoxy) and consists of the opening lines of the gospel of Luke: “Make this image of St. Luke with this bull––his prayer (offering)––and with his blessings, they were with us. Amen.”

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineSingle Leaf from a Gospel Book with a Portrait of Saint Luke, c. 1440–80. Empire of Ethiopia, Tigray region (Ethiopia). Ink and tempera on vellum; sheet: 37 x 25 cm (14 9/16 x 9 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1999.212
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