The Loving Scribes
Image displayed with permission of British Library
The Loving Scribes
- 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. 78r, 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 61 has 5 episodes. The painting's episode descriptions, locations, and keywords are:
- 1. The demons seizing the scribe (top-left). The living being(s) are demon; soul.
- 2. One of the brothers sitting and facing the man who commissions a copy of the Taʾāmmǝra Māryām from him (center-left). The object(s) are ink well; ink horn; reed; pen; folio; book. The living being(s) are scribe.
- 3. The two brothers sitting and writing next to each other (bottom-left). The object(s) are ink well; ink horn; reed; pen; folio; book. The living being(s) are scribe.
- 4. The scribe sitting again and resuming his writing (bottom-right). The object(s) are ink well; ink horn; reed; pen; folio; book. The living being(s) are scribe.
- 5. St Mary pulling down the scribe from amongs the demons (top-right). The living being(s) are Mary; soul; demon.
- This painting has a caption in Geʿez, which Jeremy Brown has translated as: One of the two scribes whose soul the angels of darkness took.
- The number of PEMM manuscripts that have paintings of this story is 36. The total number of paintings of this story in PEMM manuscripts is 49.
- PEMM's ID number for this painting is 1761.
- To reproduce this image online or in print, please contact the British Library. PEMM does not own the rights.
- If you think any of the information on this page is incorrect (e.g., the location, date, description, captions), please use our PEMM Feedback Form to let us know. We depend on users like you to improve the site.
