As Africa is rich in natural metals, it has a long and rich tradition of metalwork and metal items were historically a source of wealth, status, currency, and the basis for trade, As summarized on the University of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum website, “There is enormous variety in African metalworking, in terms of the metals used, the techniques employed, and the objects produced. Historically, the metals used most in Sub-Saharan Africa were iron, copper, bronze (alloy of copper and tin), brass (alloy of copper and zinc), and gold. Metal has been used to produce objects for almost all areas of life, including trade, warfare, agriculture, worship, ritual, and body ornamentation. In West Africa from the fourteenth century, copper bracelets were used as currency. After the arrival of Portuguese and other European traders, great numbers of these manillas (the Portuguese word for bracelet) were produced in Europe to trade in west Africa (as part of the slave trade) …. a copper manilla made in Birmingham for trade to Africa…. was produced to be exchanged with Igbo people in Nigeria for palm oil and ivory…The copper from these manillas brought to Africa from Europe was often melted down and remade into other metal objects.” In Ethiopia coin silver was melted to make Ethiopian crosses. African metalware objects on the VA site include a Congo iron gong, manillas, and Ethiopian Crosses made from coin-silver.
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Made by Nkutshu (Nkutsu) or Jonga metal smiths who traditionally had a monopoly as gong makers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) in Central-Africa, many traditional African-metalwork items like this had multiple uses. They are an example of fine Tribal-art used in Africa as ritual and ceremonial instruments, a mark of status…
The uniqueness of Ethiopian Crosses stems from influences of many ancient civilizations: Coptic, Celtic, Egyptian, Byzantine, Greek, and Latin. Axum-Crosses which are the most popular Ethiopian pendant crosses use geometric shapes, mostly squares or rectangles as their foundation, and are embellished with religious and apotropaic symbols. It is centered with a lattice pattern of a…
This vintage Ethiopian Cross from the Northern Ethiopian Highlands in Africa is a variant of a Coptic -cross referred to as an Axum -Cross where it was crafted. As the most popular Ethiopian pendant crosses they are embellished with religious and apotropaic symbols. This cross is divided into two components. The top has a square…
This vintage Ethiopian Cross from the Northern Ethiopian Highlands in Africa is a variant of a Coptic cross referred to as an Axum Cross where it was crafted. As the most popular Ethiopian pendant crosses they are embellished with religious and apotropaic symbols. The bottom section is a tri-partite design depicting the Trinity. Each of…
This hand made vintage Ethiopian Cross is typical of the intricate and beautiful crosses associated with Coptic tradition of Christianity in Ethiopia which combined different cultural traditions, and religious and talismanic motifs. Old Coptic crosses often included a circle, as here with a circular shape on top enclosing an etched circular design and a cut…
No other region has produced the quantity, quality, and diversity as the Christian-cross from the Ethiopian-Highlands in Africa, an area renowned for having accepted Christianity early in its history and its unique African art and metalwork. This vintage Ethiopian cross variant of a Coptic cross and is often referred to as an Axum Cross name…
This vintage Ethiopian Cross from the Northern Ethiopian Highlands of Africa is a variant of a Coptic cross referred to as an Axum Cross where it was crafted. As the most popular pendant Ethiopian cross it is embellished with religious and apotropaic symbols. This one has a circle on top with pierced cutouts and an…
This vintage Ethiopian Cross from the Northern Ethiopian Highlands in Africa is a variant of a Coptic cross referred to as an Axum Cross where it was crafted. As the most popular form of cross, they are embellished with religious and apotropaic symbols. The top triangle with pierced cutouts represents the Trinity. Each of the…
No other region has produced the quantity, quality and diversity as the Christian cross images from the Ethiopian Highlands, a region renowned for having accepted Christianity early in its history as well as for its fine African art and metalwork. This Coptic cross features stylized birds that transform the simple cross into a tree representing…
The Star of David is worn by the Falasha Ethiopian Jews, the oldest group within Jewish diaspora. They are believed to be direct descendants from the Solomonic Dynasty from the union of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Haile Selassie, King of the Falasha and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974, adopted the Star…
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