Images(16)

Healing Scroll

Artist Ethiopian Orthodox artist (probably a däbtarä)

Date19th century

MediumSkin and ink

Dimensions66 5/8 × 3 1/8 in. (169.2 × 7.9 cm)

ClassificationsNatural Substances

Credit LineGift of Charlie Jones

Object number2019.10

On View

On view

Label TextThis scroll uses written prayers and talismanic imagery to combat demons and illnesses. Likely produced by a däbtarä, an unordained cleric, it would have been commissioned by an individual to invoke prayers addressing any number of problems, from stomachaches to sterility, or even to undo spells. Despite the connection to magic, the Ethiopian Church tolerated such scrolls because their texts were often drawn from the Gospels and included images of saints and archangels—as this one does.

Vital to the healing process is the preparation, creation, and viewing of the scroll. The däbtarä sacrifices a particular animal and washes the client in the animal’s blood for purification purposes. Afterward, the däbtarä creates three to four strips of parchment from the skin of the animal and stitches them together into one uniform length equal to the height of the owner. The object thus maintains a direct, powerful connection with its owner.ProvenanceCollected by Kate Griffin, n.d.; sold to Charles Jones, Charles Jones African Art, Wilmington, NC, 2013; given to NCMA, 2019.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement

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