Amulet thumbnail 1

Amulet

ca. 1800 (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, shape or material. Stones with pronounced natural designs, like this piece of fossilised coral, were mainly worn to avoid bewitchment; the witch would be distracted by the complex pattern and so the wearer would escape unharmed. At Traunstein, where this amulet was obtained, it was also believed to help protect against fevers of all kinds.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Fossilised coral mounted in silver
Brief description
Heart-shaped amulet of fossilised coral (Krätzenstein) in a silver mount, Bavaria (South Germany), about 1800.
Physical description
Heart-shaped pendant amulet made from cream-coloured fossilised coral mounted in silver, with an open back and toothed setting at the front.
Dimensions
  • Length: 3.4cm
  • Width: 3.1cm
  • Depth: 0.7cm
Credit line
Hildburgh Gift
Production
Worn against fevers, skin diseases, or malicious rumours
Subject depicted
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, shape or material. Stones with pronounced natural designs, like this piece of fossilised coral, were mainly worn to avoid bewitchment; the witch would be distracted by the complex pattern and so the wearer would escape unharmed. At Traunstein, where this amulet was obtained, it was also believed to help protect against fevers of all kinds.
Collection
Accession number
M.26-1917

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Record createdJanuary 11, 2008
Record URL
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