Walters Ms. W.840, Single leaf with Saint Luke Portrait of Evangelist Luke Principal cataloger Getatchew Haile, . Cataloger Herbert, Lynley Editor Herbert, Lynley Contributor Bockrath, Diane Contributor Emery, Doug Contributor Isaac, Ephraim Contributor Noel, William Contributor Tabritha, Ariel Contributor Toth, Michael B. Conservator Owen, Linda Conservator Quandt, Abigail The Walters Art Museum

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 This single leaf originally belonged to a Gospel book, and was created in the Lake Tana region of Ethiopia. The strong abstraction of the figure and his surroundings are characteristic of Ethiopian illumination of the late fourteenth century. The image, which is on the verso of the page, depicts the Evangelist St. Luke and would likely have originally faced the opening of his Gospel. Here Luke is presented as an Ethiopian scribe and is surrounded by the tools of his trade, including ink horns, reed pens, and a scraping knife. His upward gaze suggests the divine inspiration he received while writing his Gospel, the first words of which are inscribed on the page he holds. Despite being badly abraded, the pigments still retain much of their original vibrancy. Baltimore The Walters Art Museum W.840 The primary language in this manuscript is Geez. 1r - 1v Portrait of Evangelist Luke

Heavy yellowed parchment

 Foliation: Not applicable35.0 25.4 Image: 22.2 cm wide x 29 cm high Full-page miniature in orange, yellow, green, black, blue, and salmon tempera, now badly abraded; decorative headpiece; orange border Evangelist Luke writing his Gospel Full-page miniature

The inscription reads: "እስመ፡ ብዙኃን፡ እለ፡ ወጠኑ፡ ይንግሩ፡ ወይምሀሩ፡ (ǝsmä bǝzuḫan ǝllä wäṭänu yǝngǝru wä-yǝmharu)," or "Since many have undertaken and taught." (Lk 1:1)

 Late 14th century CE Lake Tana, Ethiopia Originally created as part of a Gospel book, Lake Tana, Ethiopia, late fourteenth or early fifteenth century Joseph and Margaret Knopfelmacher collection, New York, before 1996 Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Knopfelmacher, 1996 Relevant Works Holbert, Kelly, ed. Ethiopian Art: The Walters Art Museum. Baltimore: Trustees of the Walters Art Gallery, 2001, pp. 100-101, cat. no. 12. Art Medicine Museum Poetry Script Muhammad, the Prophet Kashmiri Horses Walters Art Museum Document Astrology Devotion History Legal Literature -- Poetry Literature -- Prose Liturgy Philosophy Science Science -- Medicine Scripture Sufism Theology Mineralogy Logic Geography Geomancy Cosmology Cartography Fortune-telling Koran Qur`an Firman Palimpsest Prayer Bible Gospels Psalter Missal Lectionary Book of Hours Antiphonary Homilary Processional Horologion Breviary Hymnal Chronicle Maghreb Sub-Saharan (West) Africa Turkey Afghanistan Central Asia Egypt England India Iran Iraq Pakistan Germany France Austria Netherlands Ethiopia Armenia Flanders Greece Mamluk Mughal Ottoman Ottonian Armenian Byzantine Abbasid Qajar Rajput Christian Arabic Austrian Dutch Egyptian Fatimid German Indian Islamic Persian Safavid Timurid Turkish Umayyad English French Flemish Ethiopian Carolingian Calligraphy Colophon Headpiece Illumination Illustration Medallion Miniature Ornament Painting Early Abbasid script Ragini Romanesque Gothic Watermark Grotesques Historiated initial Inhabited initial White-vine lettering Textura Batarda Humanistic Uncial Accordion book Album Book Codex Manuscript Heraldry Saint's Life Drawing Grisaille Binding New Abbasid style Musical notation Russia Romania Charter Russian Genealogy Mass book Prayer book Gospel Lectionary Psalter-Hours Treatise Grammar Gloss Pontifical Private devotional text Gradual Protective scroll Scroll 10th century 11th century 12th century 13th century 14th century 15th century 16th century 17th century 18th century 19th century 20th century 8th century 9th century Block book Caroline minuscule Central Arab lands (Near East) Chart English secretary hand Kufic Gothic book hand Original binding Treasure binding Gospel Book Spanish Spain Italian Italy Coptic Scrapbook American United States Maryland Historical Society Friendship book Friendship Liturgical Devotional Scriptural Theological Legal Historical Scientific Scientific -- Medical Literary -- Prose Literary -- Poetry Philosophical Astrological Sufi English Gospels Christian Ethiopian Illumination Manuscript Miniature Painting Walters Art Museum Ethiopia 14th century Scripture