Tríptic amb la Mare de Déu, escenes de la vida de Jesús i sants

The central motif of this triptych is the representation of Mary and the infant Jesus blessing and holding the gospel. It is an Ethiopian adaptation of the Byzantine icon of Hodigitria conserved in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome and is also known as salus populi romani. In the early 17th century, the Jesuits widely distributed copies of this icon in the countries where they were missionaries, among them Ethiopia. In the case of this icon, the two guardian angels with raised wings and armed with sword are an Ethiopian addition based on an ancient Coptic imagery of Mary. The resulting composition became very popular in the country and appeared in all types of artistic expression, such as miniatures of manuscripts, paintings on wood, murals or crosses. The central panel is completed with the representation of Jesus sitting on a throne addressing the apostles, who, apart from Peter, are listening, standing in two rows. Peter, with the attribute of the key to the Kingdom of Heaven, is placed below the throne of Christ. On the left-hand panel you can see the scene of the Ascension of Christ with the flag of the resurrection while Adam and Eve are holding his cloak, as well as a representation of Christ and Mary and, at the bottom, an image of the most venerated saint in Ethiopia, Saint George slaying the dragon. Finally, the right-hand panel shows the crucifixion and six more saints. Various partially legible inscriptions with the names of the characters accompany the motifs represented. The choice and distribution of the subject matter in the panels correspond to the first Gondarne style or school, which was developed in Ethiopia from the first half of the 17th century. Moreover, the work also testifies to the importance of Christian art in Ethiopia, with a Christian tradition introduced into the region from the 4th century AD.