JUNE 2006

ABYSSINIA: 3000 YEARS OF ETHIOPIAN ART AND CULTURE

At the June meeting, the lecturer, Christopher Bradley, an expert in the History and Culture of the Middle East, talked on “Abyssinia: 3000 Years of Ethiopian Art and Culture”. He wanted to redress the balance of decades of reporting on the war and poverty in Ethiopia and lecture on its rich culture and civilisation. The lecture showed the influence of the Coptic Church on the life and art of Ethiopia and its emperors.

Abyssinia refers to land west of the Red Sea and its main geographical features are Mt Ras Dashan, in the northern highlands of Ethiopia, and Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. Lake Tana is where the waters originated which annually flooded Egypt, until the building of the Aswan Dam. It covers 2000 square miles, has several islands, with the burial places of past emperors and mud-built churches with beautiful wall paintings. Since the separation of Eritrea, Ethiopia is now a landlocked country.

The Coptic Church, based in Aksum in northern Ethiopia, emphasises the Queen of Sheba and her visit to Solomon, reported in the Coptic Holy Book, written in the 1400s. She is said to have been black and originated from Aksum. Because so little is known of her, much poetic licence has been used in art in depicting her.

Ethiopia claims to possess the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the tablet of stone with the Ten Commandments, which is housed in a small sanctuary chapel in Aksum, to which only its guardian has access. It is said to have supernatural powers and to be too powerful to be gazed upon. Little evidence exists for its presence except for a carving on one of the stele, of which several exist in Aksum. Aksum is a predominantly Coptic city within Ethiopia with no mosques, where the leaders of Ethiopia were crowned.

He showed slides of beautiful churches in Lalibela, 100 miles south of Aksum, cut out of rock, accessed by deep sloping trenches, said to be the inspiration of the rolling rock scene in “The Raiders of the Lost Ark”. These churches have wonderful processional crosses for Epiphany, individually designed, originally made of bronze but replaced by brass in the 1700s, dressed by sacred cloths.

He also showed a collection of palaces in Gonda in a mish mash of styles, with Portuguese and Arabic influences and explained about the small sect of Fallasha Jews in Ethiopia, who have pursued their special form of Judaism for centuries but who have recently tried to settle in Israel.

The lecture was brought to a close with the up-to-date connection being made to the Rastafarian cult in the Caribbean.

The lecture was preceded by the Society’s AGM. Frances Ashworth, the Chairman, announced two new appointments for NADFAS central office: Susan Sellers as Chairman, and Pat Turner as Vice Chairman. She reminded members that bookings were being taken for the visit to Danson House and The Red House on 27 September.

 

PORCELAIN STUDY DAY 26 JUNE 2006

Not just a Study Day but more of a Master Class on identification of porcelain was greatly enjoyed by members when Anton Gabszewicz entertained and informed us about English porcelain.  The morning lectures, slides and samples provided the information and then in the afternoon we surprised ourselves in our ability to comment sensibly on the pieces brought by members.  Thank you, Anton, for opening our eyes and really teaching us what to look out for.