| Painting of Yohannes' March to Matamma Name of maker: Unknown Ethnic affiliation: Unknown Date of production: ca. 1930 Locale: Addis Ababa (?), Country: Ethiopia Media: Cotton cloth, oil pigments Name of collector/donor: Suzanne Miers MSUM accession number: L202.7 |
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the collector/donor Suzanne Miers is a historian. She is an authority on slavery in Africa and has written many books and essays on the subject. In the course of studying this subject in Ethiopia she learned about a British diplomat, Francis Edwin (Frank) de Halpert, who served as "slavery advisor" to Emperor Haile Selassie I in the early 1930s. Mier's research led her to meet various members of de Halpert's family, including Frank de Halpert's nephew, Commander Michael de Halpert. She came to learn that Commander de Halpert had inherited fifteen paintings that his uncle had purchased or had been given during his sojourn in Ethiopia (ca. 1930). He was concerned that he had no way of properly caring for them, and in 1985 Miers, aware of their growing historical value, acquired the paintings. She had three of them framed for display, and put the remaining twelve in storage. However, in 1993, she presented the twelve paintings to the MSU Museum on indefinite loan so that they could be properly preserved and made accessible to scholars and teachers. |
the object Paintings like this one, depicting important events in Ethiopian history, became popular during the early part of the 20th century. These oil paintings on cloth ultimately derive from the ancient tradition of mural painting associated with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. In fact, most of the best artists who have worked in this particular genre (history painting) were trained within in the context of the Church and have also produced paintings of religious subjects destined for the walls of Ethiopia's churches. These "history paintings" have been especially popular among European and American visitors to Ethiopia. This particular painting represents the prelude to the famous battle fought at Matamma (a town located on the Sudan-Ethiopia border) between Ethiopian forces led by Emperor Yohannes IV and the Mahdist or Ansar (Sudanese) army on March 9, 1889. The Ansars had recently (1888) sacked Gondar, an important commercial center and a former capital of Ethiopia. Yohannes sought revenge by attacking the Ansar stronghold at Matamma. Having engaged the Ansar in battle, it appeared that the Ethiopian forces would be victorious, but in the midst of battle Yohannes was mortally wounded (he died the next day) and the Ethiopians were forced to retreat. In this painting we see the Emperor, , just left of center, riding on horse back, directing his troops, as they march on Matamma.
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