Carolin Schäfer

17 June 2026,18:00 CET (registration see below)

The dissertation, submitted at the Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich, focuses on creating the first coherent museum catalogue of the second largest collection of Ethiopian icons in the world, with 93 objects in the Museum Fünf Kontinente in Munich. Furthermore, it explores the historical, cultural, technical, and theological development of the Ethiopian icon from its earliest known local production in the mid-15th century up to modern pieces. Across five major chapters, stylistic changes are discussed, along with the ways they were driven by shifts within the Christian Empire and by maritime exchanges across the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean. By applying a multidisciplinary approach and consulting additional significant collections, such as those in Addis Ababa and Baltimore, the study establishes a new relative periodisation. This includes improved dating suggestions and introduces previously undefined eras, namely the Solomonic Revival Period, the Transitional Gonderine Period, and the Period of Warriors.

Dr. des. Carolin Schäfer recently defended her dissertation in Late Ancient and Byzantine Studies at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany. She holds degrees in Art History (M.A., B.A.) and Archaeology (B.A.) and is affiliated with the ‚Textiles in Ethiopian Manuscripts‘ project at the University of Toronto.

(Picture Copyright (C) Museum Fünf Kontinente, Nicolai Kästner)

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