Circa Late 19th or Early 20th Century carved stone cross in the distinctive Ethiopian processional or hand cross form, with a diamond-shaped head and a long tapering handle that flares slightly at the base. This shape is immediately recognizable as Ethiopian Christian art consistent with the makamiya or processional cross tradition used by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The two sides are carved with different scenes, one depicting the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child in a frontally posed, hierarchical style, and the other depicting the Crucifixion with flanking figures, most likely the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist, which is the standard Deësis arrangement in Ethiopian iconography. The incised linear style, the crosshatched robes, the almond-shaped halos, and the flat relief technique are all entirely consistent with Ethiopian Orthodox carving traditions.

23.5cm long and in excellent order. Cross will be bubble wrapped, boxed and securely packed for shipment