Ethiopia's many years of isolation, the unsurpassed beauty of this culture's illuminated manuscripts, icons on wood, and mural paintings in rock-carved churches have been little known to the main stream of art history. Modern Ethiopian artists retain deep attachment to the rich cultural heritage of Amharic civilization and the iconography of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. One item the artisans produce is the Ethiopian cross: a filigreed artifact made solidly of nickel and brass and molded by means of a sculptural technique called "lost wax."

Throughout Ethiopia, artisans ply their trades, serving both the artistic and practical needs of their customers. Workers in clay make biblical figurines, coffee and cooking pots, water jugs, and plates to set food on (but not to eat from). Blacksmiths forge plowshares, iron rings (for bracelets, neck ornaments, and the like), bullets, cartridge casings, spearheads, and knives. Woodcarvers craft chairs, tables, goblets, and statues. Artists paint oil on canvas, creating traditionally religious images. Modern painters mix traditional art with their own interpretations of their world today, sometimes with spectacular results. Weavers hand-spin cotton thread and weave it into complex patterned cloth, and they decorate it with highly detailed and colorful embroidery. This is then used in clothing, including scarves, shirts, dresses, and capes. A rich legacy of traditional handicrafts are created by artisans throughout Ethiopia.

The themes and forms of religious paintings in Ethiopia have been handed down from one generation of painters to another by training and local tradition. This accounts for the remarkable continuity that has been maintained for centuries.