Obj. ID: 54417 Shmirah Meulah u-Moelet la-Yeled ha-Nolad, Algiers, circa 1900
sub-set tree:
H | Hamsa
M | Magen David | Magen David, inscribed
O | Ornamentation: | Ornament
E | Evronot, Book of (listed according to the types of illustration) | Tekufot (seasons) practices, Evronot | A fisherman with fishing net stands at a pool with fish
V | Vase | Vase with flowers
A | Arch
|
The following description was prepared by William Gross:
From earliest times, man has tried to protect himself from misfortune by the use of objects that 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 is an interesting printed sheet that is a part of a series of gold inked lithographs from Algeria. They all seem to be related to the circumcision ceremony. The use for this plaque appears to have been to hang it above the chair of Elijah during the circumcision ceremony or, perhaps, the hanging of the plaque above a normal chair converted it to the chair of Elijah for the ceremony. Within a triple-arched space in the center are two fish, a Hamsah, a Magen David and the Ten Commandments. Around the perimiter are inscriptions relating to protection and the ceremony itself.
This example is a cruder example of an amulet also in the Gross Family Collection, 027.011.402 that contains the same elements but in a more refined manner and was most probably copied from that one.