Manuscript: This painting is from a famous and much studied manuscript, EMML 9002, also called the Codex Aureus or Golden Codex due to its unusual use of gold leaf. It was commissioned by King Dawit (r. 1379/80 - 1413) and completed in December 1400. This particular photo was taken by Diana Spencer in 1966 in Ethiopia, available through the Mäzgäbä Səəlat database. Thus, the credit line should be "(c) 1966 Diana Spencer; kind permission for reproduction on this site granted by Michael Gervers and the Mäzgäbä Səəlat."
Topic: This painting is of a topic we have not seen in any other Miracles of Mary manuscript. It arises from the apocryphal 300s or 400s CE Coptic text titled Acts of the Apostles Andrew and Matthias, which states that the twelfth apostle Matthias (who replaced Judas) was assigned to the “city of cannibals,” which was in a place called "Ethiopia" (but actually what is now Georgia, Macedonia, on the Alazani River). Matthias is freed from prison in that text, though, not resurrected. Mary is not mentioned in the Coptic text but is in an Arabic/Ethiopian version of the scene, titled "The Prayer of the Mother" or "Homily on the Legend of St. Matthias (Prayer of the Mother in the region of the Parthians)."
Analysis: Stanisław Chojnacki wrote about this painting. According to an English translation, he wrote that "At first glance, the miniature represents an event evoked in the Ethiopian Apocrypha, which tells us how the apostle Matthias was in danger of perishing among the Parthians (Bartos in the Ethiopian text). At that moment, Jesus Christ announced to his disciples that he would grant all his mother's prayers. Upon hearing these words, the Virgin 'rose to her feet and begged Our Lord Jesus Christ to save the apostle Mätyäs [Matthias] and at that moment untie all the chains of the city...' and 'all the inhabitants became believers.' However, it seems to us that the miniature should have a double meaning, one apparent and the other hidden. On the surface, the miniature represents the apocryphal story referring to the apostle Matthias. At the same time, it also evokes the tragic episode in Däwit's life and his belief in the miraculous invention of the Virgin saving his life. This double meaning is confirmed by the fact that Matthias is represented in the same way as King Däwit in all the miniatures. " Chojnacki, Stanisław. 1999. "Les portraits des donateurs comme sources de l’histoire politique, religieuse et culturelle de l’Éthiopie du XIIe au XIXe siècle." Nubica et Æthiopica 4-5: 241.
