3-021-320 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Relics from Abyssinia: golden triple crown of the Abuna, 1868. One of the '...objects of interest and value which formed part of the spoil captured by the British army at the storming of Magdala, and which have been secured for the British Museum...The crown of the Abuna, or head of the Christian Church in Abyssinia,...is of gold, about 14in. high. Its top is dome-shaped, and was originally surmounted by a cross, which has unfortunately disappeared. Beneath this, in circular medallions, are embossed representations of the four Evangelists, with their names in Ethiopic characters; and between these circles are small pendent ornaments of gold filigree and beads of coloured glass. Three raised bands of ornamental work, having embossed heads of the Apostles in some of their compartments, encircle the crown, which has evidently been made after the model of the tiara of the Roman Pontiffs. From the sides of the richly-decorated rim hang two ear-pieces of blue velvet, ornamented with goldwork pierced in floral designs. This crown is evidently of considerable antiquity, and is, perhaps, the most curious and interesting of all the relics taken from the fortress'. From "Illustrated London News", 1868.