I found the processional Christian cross from Ethiopia very relevant to our discussions on the Global Baroque. The Christian ‘civilizing’ mission was extremely influential in the spread of religion, art, and culture, as evident through Christian objects and images being produced in (and for) countries not of Christian origin. The cross resembles typical other Western processional crosses, but has inscriptions of Ge’ez on it, the written language of Ethiopia. There are multiple changes to traditional images or symbols that exist in Christianity, but slightly changed to mirror the culture that celebrates it–for example, the Kwer’atä Reesu symbol depicting Christ wearing the crown of thorns and opening his hands in acceptance, an icon that would come to represent Ethiopian emperors from the 17th century on.
This item connects to our study of the Global Baroque because of the movement and flexibility of art and symbol being translated across cultures, from Western Christian to an Ethiopian form of Christian iconography. Early Modern Collectors may have valued it because of these small changes that indicate cultural exchange.
