230540 - Large ANTIQUE Ethiopian Painting Battle of Adwa on canvas - Ethiopia.

Very Rare, Antique Traditional painting on Canvas of the Battle from Adwa - Ethiopia.

Ethiopian painting from The Battle of Adwa.

Painted on cotton in the traditional Ethiopian colors. 

The dimensions of this painting are 152 cm x 92 cm.

This painting is painted before 1955.

On March 1 and 2, 1896, Ethiopian forces under Emperor Menelik II defeated the invading Italian army at the Battle of Adwa and thus prevented the imposition of colonial rule. Pride in this event reached beyond national borders; it became a symbol across Africa of resistance to colonial oppression. The Italian government's formal recognition of the country was a blow to Italian pride and later contributed to Benito Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia during World War II.

Opposing diagonal lines suggest intense activity on the battlefield. This unsigned work emphasizes decorative patterns and has taken artistic license with the number of flags and participating local Ethiopian rulers, the arrangement of figures and the inclusion of St. George riding a white horse.

Description: Rectilinear oil on canvas depicting a battle waged between Ethiopian and Italian forces