Obj. ID: 36488 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.
This amulet is in the form of a Shiviti amulet with a schematic menorah form that as a Holy Temple Implement grants protection. It is, however, without the usual Psalm 67 or the 42 letter name of God that usually surrounds it. The inscription around the perimeter tells that the amulet will give protection anyone who has it. That in the Menorah shape is undefined. The hanging loop is almost worn throught, attesting to the considerable use that this object saw.
Inscription: Amuletic "names" and formulas