Two manuscript paintings representing episodes from the Solomonian legend

Two manuscript paintings representing episodes from the Solomonian legend

1959

The Solomonian legend tells how King Solomon seduced the Queen of Sheba and how the son born of that union became Menelik I, Emperor of Ethiopia. It’s from this legend that Ethiopian kings, including Haile Selassié, derived their divine authority. The top painting shows worried citizens appeasing a threatening monster. The lower one shows Solomon and the Queen of Sheba meeting. The original slide was taken during a three-week visit to Ethiopia and Eritrea undertaken during Elliott Forsyth’s study leave in 1959, from the University of Adelaide. Elliott used the images in the collection extensively for lectures on "Ethiopia: the Land of Prester John"

1 slide : col., 5 x 5 cm

Copyright E. C. Forsyth