Travel icon - Silver League - Cross-shaped diptych

Coptic icon in a silver-plated ring shaped like a cross. Height 9 cm, 12.5 cm when opened, width 5 cm.

Travel icons, being tools of personal devotion, were often kept in pockets, bags or suitcases. They were considered a way to carry spirituality and protection with you during the adventures and challenges encountered along the way.

Belonging to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which in turn is associated with the Eastern Orthodox Church, Ethiopians have professed their faith for centuries in a constant and tenacious way, narrating the earthly events of Christ, Mary, the Saints and the main doctrinal references. One of the highest manifestations of this sacred art is the icons, painted by priests and monks in Coptic monasteries. The preferred subjects are the Madonna, Christ and the Saints, among whom the most celebrated is Saint George, patron saint of Ethiopia, depicted while fighting the dragon.

The Ethiopian icons are a painting that is absolutely unique in all of Africa because over time they have undergone various influences: from Byzantine to Armenian, to Syrian, Palestinian, Italian and Indian, until they acquired an exclusive style characterized by harmonious forms in continual change.

In portraying these delicate subjects two main styles are used. The first, the oldest, medieval tradition, is characterized by flat depictions, with distinctive traits generally codified such as the color of the saints’ faces, which is white or pink, and that of the devil, only black. Positive figures are portrayed frontally or in three-quarters, while the evil always in profile. Subsequently, in addition to religious representations, naturalistic subjects began to be painted, themes related to the myth of the Queen of Sheba, hunting scenes and convivial scenes.

This depiction faithfully reprises the ancient religious tradition: on the upper part Jesus Christ is depicted blessing the faithful, and on the lower part the Crucifixion.

According to the Bible, the patriarch Noah, after the flood, had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth - according to the peoples of Asia, Africa, and Eurasia. Shem became the progenitor of the Hebrew and Arab peoples; Japheth the ancestor of the peoples today Turkish and Greek, and Ham of the peoples along the Nile up to Ethiopia.
This includes the Ethiopians from the very beginning in the history of salvation of the Sacred Book.

In Ethiopia, Orthodox Christianity flourished especially in the north where there are high mountains with peaks exceeding 4000 meters. In this area, in the legendary city of Gondar and around the great Lake Tana, the art of painting Orthodox icons flourished.
Ethiopian icons have a somewhat naive look by Western standards due to the large eyes, the heads often oversized and the very bright colors.

Careful packaging and shipment via registered mail with tracking number.