“Fountain of Life”
Today, a piece from the Tigray region of Ethiopia, circa 1300-1350.
This depiction of the Fountain of Life is the front painting on a double-sided Gospel leaf. Made of tempera on parchment paper, this piece dates to the first half of the fourteenth century. It comes from the Tigray region, the northernmost part of Ethiopia.
This side of the painting depicts the famed Fountain of Life. In the Gospels, God the Father is described as the source of life, and whoever drinks of his water will have eternal life. Peacocks, labeled in the text as “ostriches”, flank the top of the fountain, while gazelle-like animals flank the bottom. The accompanying text written on this leaf is Ge’ez, the ancient language of Ethiopia. The text provides an index to the Gospels.
The Tigray region of Ethiopia converted to Christianity in the fourth century AD. As a result, the inhabitants of Tigray established close ties with Christian communities in Egypt, Syria, and within the Byzantine Empire itself, at the time ruled from Constantinople. These relationships are evident through shared motifs as depicted on this Gospel leaf such as the Fountain of Life on this side, and the Lamb of God and crucifixions painted on the reverse.
Gospel leafs are the original pages of once completed manuscripts. These books were visually beautiful and highly valuable, with careful writing and detailed accompanying illustrations. The original manuscripts were often taken apart, with individual sheets sold to collectors.
This painting of the Fountain of Life is currently in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, in the United States.
For more Folk and Traditional art, please visit the art movements page here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
thanks!