Pendant, amulet
BackDescription:
Silver 'Hand of Fatima' or 'khamsa' (meaning 'five') amuletic pendant in the shape of a hand. Decorated with a raised circular roundel affixed near the top comprising yellow enamelled circles set within twisted silver wire frames and surrounded by remnants of green enamelling. The roundel is surmounted by a piece of red or amber-coloured glass set within a bezel. A cruciform shaped pendant (also called a 'khamsa') dangles from a round loop suspended from the roundel. The cruciform pendant is decorated with green and yellow enamelling and features a small green central glass bead. The remaining portions of the hand are decorated with rows of stamped circular designs and dots. The pendant can be suspended from a long looped sheet of silver soldered at the top.
Object type: | pendant, amulet |
Museum number: | 2014,6009.1 |
Date: | 1890s (circa) |
Production place: | Made in: Morocco |
Findspot: | Found/Acquired: London |
Materials: | silver, enamel, glass |
Technique: | enamelled, stamped |
Dimensions: | Height: 13.00 cm (longest length) Width: 8.00 cm |
Location: | 48 |
Exhibition history: | Exhibited: 2014 24 July- BM, G34/case 45 |
Acquisition names: | Purchased from: Barbie Campbell Cole |
Acquisition date: | 2014 |
Curator's comments:
Two hand amulets Morocco (1890s); Palestine (1930s) The belief in the protective power of hand amulets dates back millennia. In the Middle East and North Africa they are referred to as khamsas (‘five’) or ‘Hands of Fatima,’ referring to the Prophet’s daughter. These examples may have been used by Muslims or Jews to ward off the ‘eye of envy’. 2014,6009.1 and As1966,01.440
1 of 1