Obj. ID: 53868  Amulet, Milan, circa 1830

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

Carrying both multiple illustrations and inscriptions, this printed amulet was clearly made to be hung on the walls of homes for Italian Jews. Four biblical stories from the Book of Bereishit are depicted - the sacrifice of Isaac, Jacob's dream, Cain and Abel, and Adam and eve with the snake in the Garden of Eden. The garden of Eden illustration is derived from the 16th-century artist Holbein while the Dream of Jacob is taken from a Merian engraving. Pictured as well are Moses and Aaron and four angels on the sides of the tablets of the law. The amuletic character of the printed sheet is given by the 67th psalm in the shape of a menorah, the 42-letter name of god, the names of various angels, and kabbalistic abbreviations. It is finely drawn, even if a bit stiffly rendered. The rather modern style border is a surprising element for a 19th-century creation. Another sheet, hand drawn by the same artist, is in the Italian Jewish museum in jerusalem and a later colored version of this amulet is in the Moldovan family collection and was printed in Milan.