Obj. ID: 36948 Amulet, Iraqi Kurdistan, circa 1930
sub-set tree:
The following description was prepared by William Gross:
From earliest times, man has tried to protect himself from misfortune by the use of objects which he considered holy or otherwise (e.g., magically) potent. Amulets and talismans are items generally worn around the neck or wrist, carried in a pocket or purse or hung on a wall. They are meant to protect or aid those who carried or wore them. The Hebrew word for amulet, kame‘a, has the root meaning "to bind". Jewish amulets are usually comprised of texts (either letters or graphic symbols) that are inscribed on some sort of material; some may also contain plant matter or precious stones. The texts of amulets usually include holy names that are believed to have the ability to affect reality, along with incantations summoning angels or other magical powers. For the most part, an amulet has a specific purpose: to ease childbirth, facilitate recovery from illness, improve one’s livelihood, and so on, but in the modern world many are also made for general protection.
This example is a particularly fine example of the cut-corner rectangular-shaped amulets made in Kurdistan. It is the typical Kurdish amulet, often for children, as seen in the picture as displayed in the exhibition in the Spertus Museum. The text is elegantly written and displayed in an aesthetic pattern. It is unusual to find this shape amulet with hollow letters such as are used here for the 42 letter name. There is no specific name of a person for whom the amulet was fashioned, but it is rather indicated that it will guard any person who carries it.