Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Wall Painting with a Priest of Heaven
Not on view
This is an image of one of twenty-four "priests of heaven," or Kahənatä sämay. The designation refers to the Elders of the Apocalypse, who, according to the teachings of the Ethiopian Church, fall under the category of angels. Equipped with crowns and censers, they celebrate the divine liturgy, arrayed in a composition typical of the seventeenth century. The cut of their garments and the cloth’s dotted, striped, or floral patterns reflect elite tastes for textiles and clothing imported from India and Turkey.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
