Obj. ID: 36894 Amulet; Necklace, Tunisia, circa 1920
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 lovely gold-plated necklace also carries silver marks on the two arms of the fibulae. The chain is formed from the traditional beaten flat ring, a specialty of the Tunisian silversmiths. It also uses filigree and granulation to develop an exceptionally rich texture and appearance for the piece. Suspended from the piece are four hamsas and a fish, all executed in filigree. This was probably jewelry for a bride, the symbol of the fish for her fertility and the hamsas to protect her from the evil eye on the ocassion of her celebration, a particularly vulnerable time. The many round forms on the elements of the necklace represent the eye, which is itself an antidote against the “evil eye”.
The hamsa is arguably the most popular form of amulet against the Evil Eye and is used in a large number of countries in the Islamic world. Probably originating in Moslem Spain of the 12th or 13th century, it crossed the sea to Morocco with the expulsion of 1492 and spread across North Africa to the Middle and Far East.