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tigray collection
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Item number: KD 01 001
SOLD
SOLD
Item number: KD 01 005
Item number: KD 01 006
Item number: KD 01 007
Item number: KD 01 008
SOLD
Item number: KD 01 002
SOLD
Item number: KD 01 010
SOLD
SOLD
Item number: KD 01 014
Item number: KD 01 015
Item number: KD 01 016
Item number: KD 01 017
Item number: KD 01 018
Item number: KD 01 019
Item number: KD 01 020
Item number: KD 01 021
Item number: KD 01 022
Item number: KD 01 023
Item number: KD 01 024
Item number: KD 01 025 (detail)
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The paintings of our Tigray Collection have been produced by Ethiopian monks. They build on the artistic traditions of the Ethiopian Orthodox church and depict scenes from Biblical history, saint legends and
Ethiopian history.
After the Christianisation of Ethiopia in the 5th century, monasteries grew into flourishing cultural centres where artistic traditions were passed down from one generation of monks to the next. The subjects were first exclusively religious, but in the late 19th century, the Ethiopian imperial court commissioned artists to commemorate historical events. Today, church-trained artists in Ethiopia still follow many of the conventions that guided painters centuries ago.
Paintings are characterized by two-dimensional planes of brilliant colour without light or shadow. The faces of the subjects are expressionless and idealized, and a sense of perspective may be created through V-shaped arrangements of the elements. Significant objects, careful positioning and text within the pieces further help identify
the theme. Good people are depicted facing the viewer, whereas the bad and the pagan are one-eyed.
Our paintings have been produced by monks in isolated monasteries in the Ethiopian highlands. They have used available means, and techniques and use of material may vary. Work and storage facilities are sometimes primitive, and some canvases may therefore have been affected by water or dust.
According to monastery traditions the artists remain anonymous.
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