The Prince and the Plunder

A book on how Britain took one boy and piles of treasures from Ethiopia

Category: Manuscripts

A manuscript of the History of King Lalibela (OR 718)

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What: A 19th century Ethiopian manuscript of the History of King Lalibela of Lasta and the building of the churches

Where: The British Library, 96 Euston Rd, London NW1 2DB

Ref: OR 718
Digital version – http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Or_718

Provenance:
Stamped on first page: “Presented by the Secretary of State for India Aug. 1868”
Listed as part of the “Magdala collection” in William Wright’s Catalogue of the Ethiopic manuscripts in the British Museum acquired since the year 1847

Fragment of Bible ‘found’ near Senafe (Or. 2273)

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What: A fragment of a Bible “found” near the British mssion’s camp of Senafe by a Mr. J.T.C. Prince and presented to Baron van Heemstra van Froma en Eibersburen

Where: Leiden University Libraries

Listed in Inventory of the oriental manuscripts of the Library of the University of Leiden – part 3: manuscripts Or. 2001-Or. 3000

Or. 2273
Ethiopian, ff.
Fragment of the Bible in Ethiopian.
Provenance: Purchased by auction from the collection of Baron van Heemstra van Froma en Eibersburen, who had been presented with the manuscript by Mr. J.T.C. Prince, who had found the manuscript near the camp of Sanafé, during the English expedition to Ethiopia. Another manuscript found by Mr. Prince from Gouda is Or. 1924, above. (Initials of Mr. Prince must still be established??)
(Hebr. 124)

Arabic manuscript ‘found’ in Maqdala (Or. 1924)

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What: An Arabic manuscript found by a Mr. J.F.E. Prince “in the camp of the emperor Theodorus II in Magdala”

Where: Leiden University Libraries

Listed in the Inventory of the oriental manuscripts of the Library of the University of Leiden – part 2: manuscripts Or. 1001-Or. 2000

Or. 1924
Arabic, paper, 104 ff., dated 1257 AH (1841 AD), copied from the autograph.
The part on al-muhlikat from an ethical work by Ibrahim b. al-Husayn b. `Ali al-Faradi al-Qadiri (718/1318), GAL S II, 147. CCO V, p. 256 (No. 2660) gives a survey of the contents. CCO 2660 (V, pp. 256-257). See Voorhoeve, Handlist, p. 448.

Provenance: Gift received in 1869, or shortly after, from Mr. J.F.E. Prince from Gouda, who had found the manuscript in the camp of the emperor Theodorus II of Abessynia (reigned 1855-1868) in Magdala. Mr. Prince had participated in the British punitive expedition to Magdala in 1868. The fragments of a printed work in Ethiopic (6 ff.), which according to CCO V, p. 225, were kept with this MS have been removed in the meantime. Their present whereabouts are unknown. Another manuscript found by Mr. Prince is Or. 2273, below. (Ar. 1216)

A manuscript of the Miracles of Mary (RCIN 1005082)

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What: An 18th century manuscript of the Miracles of Mary or ‘Nagara Maryam’ with images on almost every page

Where: The Royal Collection, Britain

Click here to see details and images on the Royal Collection website – https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/14/collection/1005082/nagara-maryam-geez

The database entry, which has several black and white images, reads: “Manuscript on vellum, in three columns, written by one scribe in a fair hand, in the Ge’ez language. Illuminated and illustrated copiously, with images on virtually every page. | 18.0 x 34.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 1005082”.

Note:

One of six ecclesiastical manuscripts from Maqdala, currently part of the Queen of England’s personal collection in the Royal Library in Windsor Castle.

They were part of the original haul of manuscripts given to the British Museum in the aftermath of the campaign. Museum staff selected the six most beautiful volumes and presented them to Queen Victoria.

Prof Richard Pankhurst, AFROMET vice chair, described the six illuminated books as “six of the finest Ethiopian religious manuscripts in existence”. He added: “These were specially selected for Queen Victoria, and are therefore, from the artistic point of view, virtually without equal anywhere in the world.”

Each volume includes a line identifying it as the property of the Church of Madhane Alam at Magdala. Thay are all written in the ancient Ethiopian language of Geez. All but one are described in the Royal Library catalogue as “profusely illustrated”.

Listed in Edward Ullendorff’s paper The Ethiopic Manuscripts in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle.

A manuscript of the Four Gospels (RCIN 1005084)

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What: An 17-th18th century manuscript of the Four Gospels written in a particularly fine hand

Where: The Royal Collection, Britain

Click here to see details and images on the Royal Collection website – https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/15/collection/1005084/the-four-gospels-geez

The database entry, which has several black and white images, reads: “Manuscript on vellum, in two columns, written by two different scribes in the Ge’ez language. Folios 2-15 are written in a very small, particularly fine hand. Profusely rubricated. | 29.5 x 25.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 1005084”.

Note:

One of six ecclesiastical manuscripts from Maqdala, currently part of the Queen of England’s personal collection in the Royal Library in Windsor Castle.

They were part of the original haul of manuscripts given to the British Museum in the aftermath of the campaign. Museum staff selected the six most beautiful volumes and presented them to Queen Victoria.

Prof Richard Pankhurst, AFROMET vice chair, described the six illuminated books as “six of the finest Ethiopian religious manuscripts in existence”. He added: “These were specially selected for Queen Victoria, and are therefore, from the artistic point of view, virtually without equal anywhere in the world.”

Each volume includes a line identifying it as the property of the Church of Madhane Alam at Magdala. Thay are all written in the ancient Ethiopian language of Geez. All but one are described in the Royal Library catalogue as “profusely illustrated”.

Listed in Edward Ullendorff’s paper The Ethiopic Manuscripts in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle.

A manuscript of The Miracles of Our Lord Jesus (RCIN 1005079)

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What: An 18th century manuscript of the The Miracles of Our Lord Jesus with images on almost every page

Where: The Royal Collection, Britain

Click here to see details and images on the Royal Collection website – https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/30/collection/1005079/the-miracles-of-our-lord-jesus-geez

The database entry, which has several black and white images, reads: “Manuscript on vellum, in two columns, by three scribes, in the Ge’ez language. Profusely illustrated with images particularly of the Virgin Mary and Child; first two lines of each Miracle rubricated. | 34.5 x 29.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 1005079”.

Note:

One of six ecclesiastical manuscripts from Maqdala, currently part of the Queen of England’s personal collection in the Royal Library in Windsor Castle.

They were part of the original haul of manuscripts given to the British Museum in the aftermath of the campaign. Museum staff selected the six most beautiful volumes and presented them to Queen Victoria.

Prof Richard Pankhurst, AFROMET vice chair, described the six illuminated books as “six of the finest Ethiopian religious manuscripts in existence”. He added: “These were specially selected for Queen Victoria, and are therefore, from the artistic point of view, virtually without equal anywhere in the world.”

Each volume includes a line identifying it as the property of the Church of Madhane Alam at Magdala. Thay are all written in the ancient Ethiopian language of Geez. All but one are described in the Royal Library catalogue as “profusely illustrated”.

Listed in Edward Ullendorff’s paper The Ethiopic Manuscripts in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle.