This project has been the work of one month, spanning from July 5 – August 5, 2016, and has been accomplished through the Institute of Curatorial Practice and Bob McCarthy. The studied object is an Ethiopian manuscript dating between the fourteenth and fifteenth century. It is a highly unique piece, revealing the shifting cultural values before and after the reign of Zär’a Ya’eqob and the prevalence of the Cult of the Virgin Mary.
After a month of heavy research and a twenty page paper, the work has culminated in the website BM 1574 and has allowed for a complex examination of the various motifs and iconography present not only in the titular manuscript, but in other contemporary examples as well.
BM 1574 is a modern analysis of an ancient object, with the hopes of revitalizing scholarly interest in a fascinating field of study, the Ethiopian artistic canon.
Amanda Bolin — Smith College ’18