Ethiopian Coptic Cross Amulet

Dense scratched patterns and four lobed corners make this piece feel like a tiny shrine.

This coptic cross amulet is Ethiopian Orthodox, from Ethiopia, East Africa, and dates to the 19th or early 20th century. It is coin silver & fine silver. Silver crosses of this kind were often made by hand-working or casting metal, sometimes from melted coins, which gave smiths a familiar and portable source of silver. Stepped rectangular body carries scratched grids and lines, with small square lobes at each corner, each stamped with an X. The surface is warm yellowish-grey and rough with wear. A paper tag trails from the loop. It is 1 inches long and 2 high.

Compact architecture with a lot to say.