The Monastery of Enda Abuna Takla Haymanot in Wagariqo. II. Aesthetic Analysis of a Hand Cross

The article is a formal and iconographic analysis of an Ethiopian hand cross that has never yet been published and is still kept in the Eritrean Monatery of Enda Abuna Talka Haymanot in Wagariqo. The inscriptions on the cross allows to date it to the reign of King Iyasu I (throne name Adyam Sagad, r. 1682-1706). The dating is confimed by stylistic analysis of the incised images. The aesthetic study shows a very complex object, an original synthesis of influences coming from abroad with elements of local traditions.