Pendant thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at Young V&A
Play Gallery, Mini Museum, case 15

Pendant

Pendant
1865-1873 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This pendant, made from the carcass of a real beetle, was bought for the Museum in Damascus in 1873.

Although amulets were widely worn by Moslems, and the scarab beetle was an important amulet in Ancient Egypt, real beetles were not usually used for this purpose in the region. This particular pendant is more likely to have been made as a souvenir for western visitors. Iridescent green beetles, imported mainly from India and Brazil, were popular items of jewellery in Britain in the 1870s.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePendant (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Green and red beetle set in silver
Brief description
Green and red beetle set in sheet silver, Damascus (Syria), 1865-1873.
Physical description
The dried body of a bright green and red beetle in a closed mount with toothed setting. There is a small loop for suspension at the top holding a loose ring.
Subject depicted
Summary
This pendant, made from the carcass of a real beetle, was bought for the Museum in Damascus in 1873.

Although amulets were widely worn by Moslems, and the scarab beetle was an important amulet in Ancient Egypt, real beetles were not usually used for this purpose in the region. This particular pendant is more likely to have been made as a souvenir for western visitors. Iridescent green beetles, imported mainly from India and Brazil, were popular items of jewellery in Britain in the 1870s.
Collection
Accession number
861-1873

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Record createdApril 8, 2003
Record URL
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