Constructing Kingship in Early Solomonic Ethiopia: The David and Solomon Portraits in the Juel-Jensen Psalter

Determining what the psalter illustrations of medieval Ethiopia—especially the David and Solomon portraits in the Juel-Jensen Psalter—have in common with other traditions helps to single out what makes them unique and shows that they were structured around Ethiopian imperial ideology, which considered the country’s emperors as descendants of these biblical figures. The distinctly Ethiopian character of these images is foregrounded to show that the work of Ethiopian artists can be appreciated only if one considers their communicative intentions and sociocultural backgrounds