Obj. ID: 37492 Amulet, Ukraine, circa 1900
sub-set tree:
F | Fish | Two fish
G | God | Monogrammaton
O | Ornamentation: | Foliate and floral ornaments | Floral motif
|
The following description was prepared by William Gross:
This is an example of a type of inexpensive, easily cast lead amulet that has only recently come to light. The disovery came because of extensive use of metal detectors by amateur explorers in the FSU, primarily in the Ukraine, where such amulets have been uncovered in both quantity and variety. In the Gross Family Collection there are more than 60 different variations. It is clear that they were a very popular protective talisman, worn by numberous Jewish children.
This is an example of a round "Heh' type amulet created for a male child to be hung around his neck on a string or chain. It has been postulated that this amulet was connected with the protection of a child for whom the Pidyon Haben ceremony could not be performed on time. In the center of the obverse is the single letter "Heh" of the monogrammaton. Within this letter is an image of a tree, and on the two sides are what appear to be images of fish. Above is a Hebrew inscription. On the reverse are additional unidentified Hebrew words with a dotted border around the circumference. This amulet has broken into two pieces.