Ethiopia and Coptic Egypt

A painted religious scene asks for a different kind of looking from a woven cloth. Both belong to a gallery following Ethiopia, Egypt and the connections around the Red Sea, where Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities developed alongside one another. The displays include a Christian wall painting and an image of the Battle of Adwa, alongside textiles and other objects. Their makers used different surfaces to give stories and beliefs a visible form. Some works belonged in places of worship, while others recalled historical events. Follow the figures through one painted scene, then turn to a woven surface. The choice of material affects how an image takes shape.