Ethiopian icon
Ethiopian icon

Ethiopian icon collection

Duration
9 September 2024 until now
Project type
Research

The Institute of Eastern Christianity received a large collection of Ethiopian icons after the Nijmegen Ethnographic Museum closed in 2004. The icons were originally collected in the 1960s and 1970s by A.M. Heidt. The collection contains nearly five hundred colourful paintings on parchment, depicting Ethiopian religion and everyday life.

During the 2019-2020 academic year, Ayla Kivits, master's student in art history, researched the Ethiopian icon collection. She wrote about the origin of the collection, the tradition of Ethiopian folk art and two masterpieces: the icon of King David and the icon depicting the Queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon.

Art historian Loes van Beuningen continued the research in 2020. She wrote texts on the equestrian icons, which can be found in large numbers, the prayer scroll and icons illustrating the important Ethiopian Christian festivals Timkat and Meskal.

You can read Ayla and Loes' articles on the dedicated website: https://ethiopische-iconen.net/