Ethiopian Healing Scroll

Ca. 19th century, Ethiopia, a portable scroll made of parchment and red and black ink, with writing in Ge'ez, the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and a talismanic design at the top. Typically kept rolled and stored until used, this example is unrolled, mounted on thin wooden boards, and presented under glass in a black metal frame.

Scroll length 20 7/8 in.; frame 24 1/4 x 6 3/4 in.

Private Collection of a Gentleman, From His Time in China and Japan

Ethiopian healing scrolls were commissioned by the illiterate and made by church clerics as part of a spiritual healing process to cure the sick. They would "restore health by utilizing written words and talismanic images imbued with magical protective powers." The scrolls incorporated prayers from Christian texts in black ink, names in red ink, and powerful imagery. This example seems to incorporate the common imagery of the eight-pointed star, used to capture demons, and an angel, depicted as a face surrounded by eight wings. Often made to the length of the patron or longer, with several pieces of parchment connected, it is possible that this example was originally part of a longer scroll. (Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/heal/hd_heal.htm)

Expected age wear such as browning at the edges, slight bubbling to the parchment, and light grime; a few areas with minor damp stains and faint blue marks; not examined out of frame.