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Processional cross, Zagwe dynasty, Thirteenth Century, cast bronze.

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Sinners held by the demon T’emelyakos beside the devil, Diyablos, folding picture book, Seventeenth Century, vellum.

FOR 8/17

ETHIOPIAN ‘MAGIC AND FAITH’ TO OPEN AT SAM FOGG SEPT 12 w/2 cuts

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PAIRS, FRANCE — Sam Fogg, a leading dealer in Ethiopian art, will stage the first selling exhibition of Ethiopian art in Paris, at Galerie Daniel Besseiche, 33 rue Guenegaud, Wednesday, September 12, to Sunday, September 16, as part of the sixth Parcours des Mondes primitive art event.

Fogg will show a selection of works representative of the culture of Ethiopia, including ancient manuscripts, magic scrolls and carved crosses in metal and wood, dating from the Zagwe dynasty in the Thirteenth Century to the Nineteenth Century. “Magic and Faith: Ethiopian Art” will be Fogg’s fourth exhibition of Ethiopian art and follows the acclaimed “Art of Ethiopia,” staged at Pace Primitive in New York in 2005.

Fogg will exhibit Ethiopian art for the first time at Parcours des Mondes alongside art from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania. The unknown culture of sub-Saharan Africa, the art of Ethiopia has been mostly ignored by scholars until recently. However, the study of and enthusiasm for Ethiopian art is growing. Ethiopia holds a position as an ancient Christian culture in the horn of Africa, surrounded by tribal and Islamic communities.

The exhibition will include manuscripts both Christian and talismanic, magic scrolls painted with demons, and crosses in metal and wood. The earliest piece in the exhibition is a rare cast bronze processional cross, dating from Zagwe dynasty, probably from the Thirteenth Century.

During the Fifteenth Century the highlands of central and northern Ethiopia saw a flowering of the arts. Great advancements were made in literature, manuscript illumination and panel painting as well as in metalwork. Fogg’s exhibition will include some fine examples of the metal crosses produced in that period.

The exhibition will also include a group of Seventeenth Century wood hand crosses carved with various patterns and shapes. Characteristic of these is a type of interlace ornament that imitates a style developed by the Stephanite monks in the late Fifteenth Century.

A selection of Seventeenth Century manuscripts includes a large folding book with wild and dynamic painting, which has parallels with mainstream Seventeenth Century styles, but must have originated somewhere remote from the court. A number of “magic” (talismanic) manuscripts and scrolls will be on view. The latter are typically made up of three strips of parchment joined together and painted with gorgons’ heads, angels, magic diagrams placed among prayers and spells, written in Ge’ez in vertical columns.

For information, 020 7534 2100, www.samfogg.com or www.parcours-des-mondes.com.