Obj. ID: 36394 Amulet, Iranian Kurdistan, circa 1900
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 necklace is in essence an amulet chain, probably from Iraqi Kurdistan; at its center a tear-shaped amulet with inscriptions on both sides. On the chain are amulet holder tubes which may have contained rolled amulets, formed pieces with a hamsa inscribed on one side and the Magen David on the other, an inscribed circular disc and a carved oak amulet called an "Afsa" in silver straps, indicating that this amulet is from an area either near or in Iraq. In this piece the hamsa is only one of many amuletic elements providing protection for the woman who wore it. The blue stones lend additional protection.
Inscription: Shaddai........ Tzamarchad........