Ethiopia has often attracted attention because of its unique position as an ancient Christian culture far into Africa. Many people have been fascinated by the brilliant colours and childlike directness of traditional Ethiopian art.

Little attention has been given, however, to the great art periods the culture has witnessed in the past. The fifteenth century saw a magnificent flowering of painting in the highlands of central and northern Ethiopia - in paintings on panel and above all in manuscripts.

This book features an unparallelled collection of Ethiopian Christian artefacts, mostly fifteenth-century manuscripts and icons and metalwork but also some work from the two succeeding centuries.