Obj. ID: 35382 Amulet, Iran, 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.
Within the large number of amulets from Iran, there are a number of groups of similar form. This type is round, concave and engraved with the particular style of hollow lettering in Hebrew seen here. They are very often inscribed with the invocation "Ben Porat Yosef" in addition to other Kabbalistic names and phrases for the protection of the wearer..This exmple, in a rare ocurrence, also carries the text of Psalm 67, regularly seen in the shape of a menorah on the Iranian Shiviti type amulet.
Inscription: Chaim ben Pinach?; Be-Shem Agla.....