Book of the Gospels

Northern Highlands artist

Not on view


The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the central scriptures of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The Gəʿəz inscription above this image identifies the man as Saint John the Evangelist. Bright colors, schematic forms, and geometric patterns stand out as characteristic of fifteenth-century monastic book production in northern Ethiopia, where this book was made. The book contains all four Gospels, each introduced by a portrait of its respective evangelist-author. Their likenesses are among the twenty full-page illuminations in the manuscript, most depicting scenes from the life of Christ.

#1525. Illuminated Gospel

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Book of the Gospels, Northern Highlands artist, Parchment (vellum), wood (acacia), tempera, ink

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The Ascension