19th-c. Ethiopian Amharic scroll of healing from the Amhara or Tigrayan peoples.
Artwork Details
Medium
Vellum, Ink
Made/Created
Time Period
19th Century
Dimensions
Dimension Description
Unfurled dimensions
Height
57-1/4 in
Width
3-1/4 in
Interpretative Labels
Label
Making healing scrolls in Ethiopia is part of a larger process of preventing or curing physical and spiritual illness. Scrolls typically feature protective blessings and prayers to thwart or expel demons and evil spirits, as well as descriptions of herbal remedies for physical ailments. Often accompanying the text are depictions of archangels and talismanic images. Healing scrolls are either kept at home for prayer or carried for protection during daily activities. They are created by specialists called däbtäras, who, though not ordained as priests, are highly trained in theology and oversee the liturgy and music in the Ethiopian church. By dint of their command of writing, däbtäras are regarded as magicians, and their practice of healing combines their skill in writing with their mastery of medicinal practices and talismanic imagery.
