Amulet
1865-1870 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This was bought for one shilling at the International Exhibition, London, 1872. It was acquired in Malta, but is more likely to have been made in Italy. Jewellery and trinkets made of 'lava' were a very popular souvenir for tourists in the Naples area in the 19th century.
Although the stone used for these charms was always called lava in the 19th century it is in reality a type of soft compact limestone found near Naples. It's utility for carving and wide range of colours made it an ideal material for local handicrafts.
Although the stone used for these charms was always called lava in the 19th century it is in reality a type of soft compact limestone found near Naples. It's utility for carving and wide range of colours made it an ideal material for local handicrafts.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved charms of coloured lava, and silver |
| Brief description | 11 amulets of carved coloured lava and silver on a wire ring, Italy, 1865-1870. |
| Physical description | Metal ring holding 11 amulets attached by wire rings. They consist of one silver parcel-gilt axe, one jug carved from black lava, one helmet carved from fawn lava, one elongated head of white lava, one tricorn hat of fawn lava, two hearts, one of white and one of fawn lava, one stylised dagger of cream lava, one fish of fawn lava, one animal's hoof of white lava, and one furled umbrella (?) of grey lava. |
| Dimensions |
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This was bought for one shilling at the International Exhibition, London, 1872. It was acquired in Malta, but is more likely to have been made in Italy. Jewellery and trinkets made of 'lava' were a very popular souvenir for tourists in the Naples area in the 19th century. Although the stone used for these charms was always called lava in the 19th century it is in reality a type of soft compact limestone found near Naples. It's utility for carving and wide range of colours made it an ideal material for local handicrafts. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1470-1873 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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