The Battle of Adwa (1896), oil on canvas painting by an unknown artist in Ethiopia, 1940s.
The British Museum, London.
The battle is hugely important in the history of Ethiopia, cementing national pride (at least among Amhara) and the country's independence from European colonisation. The Italians are depicted in profile while the entirety of the Ethiopian faces are visible, which symbolise evil and good respectively. Menelik II watches the battle from beneath his royal umbrella in the top left corner. His wife, Empress Taitu, rides a horse and fires a revolver in the bottom left. Fitawari Gabayyahu was the commander of the forces and he is depicted on horseback in the centre. The whole scene is overlooked by Saint George, patron saint of both Ethiopia and soldiers.
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