Portrait of Zaga Christ (Ṣägga Krǝstos)

This is the earliest known European portrait miniature to depict a Black sitter. It shows Zaga Christ (Ṣägga Krǝstos) (c. 1616-1638), a pretender to the Ethiopian throne who traveled to Europe in the 1630s to gain support for his claim.

Giovanna Garzoni made the work in 1635, when she met Christ at the court of the Duke of Savoy in Turin. Her portrait is striking for its sympathetic and individualized portrayal at a time when most European images of Africans reverted to stereotypes. Christ is clothed in fashionable European dress, with his hair grown out to match the style in Turin.

In a remarkable gesture to her sitter, Garzoni signed the reverse of the miniature both in her native Italian and in the Ethiopian language Amharic. It is not known why this portrait was made, but it is possible that Christ commissioned it as a gift to bring to the French court, which he visited after leaving Turin.