Processional Cross. Artist: Ezra. Culture: Tigrinya peoples. Dimensions: H. 18 x W. 17 in. (45.7 x 43.2cm). Date: ca. 1500.This cross was created in the province of Tigray, near the Red Sea, the birthplace of Ethiopia's earliest kingdom and of Christianity in Africa. A small corpus of Ethiopian Christian works from before the seventeenth century has survived. This exceptional creation, in which a highly unusual interplay of materials affords rich tonal contrasts, is a tour de force. The solidity of the carved-wood structure is permeated by finely applied metal inlays. The complexity of this work, with each side elaborately distinct, is unrivaled. It has been attributed to Ezra (ca. 1460-1522), a member of the Stephanite monastic order. The Stephanites came to be recognized as the foremost carvers of crosses and illuminators of manuscripts. During a period of the order's exile in Egypt, Ezra is reputed to have enhanced his training as a craftsman and learned the technique of marquetry