Three Husbandless Daughters
Image displayed with permission of British Library
Three Husbandless Daughters
- This painting (also called an illumination) appears in a manuscript taken from King Tewodros's royal library in Magdala, Southern Ethiopia, and dated to 1650-1699. You can view this painting in the manuscript British Library, "Orient" Collection, Manuscript No. 645, f. 74v, or learn more about this manuscript at its PEMM Manuscript page. You can also read the related story at its PEMM Story page.
- Many Geʿez manuscript paintings are in "Synoptic Narrative Art” style; that is, a single painting depicts multiple moments in the story, providing a series of vignettes representing different plot points. PEMM calls these "episodes". This painting of PEMM Story ID 57 has 3 episodes. The painting's episode descriptions, locations, and keywords are:
- 1. The poor widow praying before the the icon of the Virgin and Child, below which her three daughters are sitting (left). The object(s) are church; icon. The living being(s) are Mary; Jesus Christ.
- 2. The two other daughters standing next to the blacksmith (top-right).
- 3. The funeral of the eldest daugher, who is wrapped in a shroud and surrounded by persons (bottom-right). The object(s) are shroud; rope.
- This painting has a caption in Geʿez, which Jeremy Brown has translated as: How the widow prayed to our Lady on behalf of the proverty of her three daughters; Our Lady Mary with her beloved son; These are the daughters of the widow: the first is Mary and the second is Martha and the third is Yawahit. Mary died and the other two Tewog the craftsman took..
- The number of PEMM manuscripts that have paintings of this story is 35. The total number of paintings of this story in PEMM manuscripts is 51.
- PEMM's ID number for this painting is 1505.
- To reproduce this image online or in print, please contact the British Library. PEMM does not own the rights.
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