Amulet thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91 to 93 mezzanine, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Amulet

1793 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Amulets were worn by men, women and children throughout southern Europe in the 19th century. Before the development of modern medicine, fevers, cramps and toothache could be painful and dangerous. Childbirth could kill mother or child. Many people believed that the supernatural powers embodied in an amulet could promote fertility and good health and offer protection against malign forces or the ‘evil eye’. Although the Catholic Church was opposed to the pagan nature of many amulets, it was powerless to prevent their use.

Amulets gain their power to protect from harm, or to attract good fortune, from their colour, pattern or material. Noise was believed to frighten away evil spirits, so bells were often included in amulets for children. This bell was fastened to the clothing or cot of a young child.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Engraved silver and chain
Brief description
Silver amulet shaped like a bell (campanilla), Cordoba (Spain), 1793.
Physical description
Pendant silver bell, decorated with engraved stylised flowers, hanging from a short length of loop-in-loop chain
Dimensions
  • Length: 13.1cm
  • Diameter: 4.8cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'MARTN' (On the suspension ring)
    Translation
    Mark of Mateo Martínez Moreno, marcador in Cordoba from 1780-1804
  • '93' (On the suspension ring)
    Translation
    1793
  • lion (On the side of the bell)
    Translation
    Town mark of Cordoba
Credit line
Hildburgh Gift
Production
Used to protect children from evil spirits
Summary
Amulets were worn by men, women and children throughout southern Europe in the 19th century. Before the development of modern medicine, fevers, cramps and toothache could be painful and dangerous. Childbirth could kill mother or child. Many people believed that the supernatural powers embodied in an amulet could promote fertility and good health and offer protection against malign forces or the ‘evil eye’. Although the Catholic Church was opposed to the pagan nature of many amulets, it was powerless to prevent their use.

Amulets gain their power to protect from harm, or to attract good fortune, from their colour, pattern or material. Noise was believed to frighten away evil spirits, so bells were often included in amulets for children. This bell was fastened to the clothing or cot of a young child.
Bibliographic reference
'Catalogo de Amuletos del Museo de Pueblo Espanol', Ministerio de Cultura, Madrid, 1987, no. 9,894, p. 99; no. 10,110 p. 101
Collection
Accession number
M.31-1917

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Record createdJanuary 11, 2008
Record URL
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