Amulet thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Amulet

19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This silver amulet comes from the Atlas mountains in North Eastern Algeria. The amulet is inscribed in Arabic and would have been worn by a Kabyle berber. Silver was a very popular material for jewellery as it was seen as a symbol of purity and honesty and rural Kabyle communities preferred it to gold which they regarded as a sign of vice. This brooch was probably made by a Jewish silversmith as the Berbers thought working with metal was an inferior occupation. Jewish silversmiths dominated jewellery making in North Africa from the late 15th century until the late 19th century.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver, chased and engraved
Brief description
Amulet of chased silver, Algeria (Kabyle), 19th century
Physical description
Amulet of chased silver with an Arabic inscription. The amulet is a flat disk roughly cut with eigth small projections. The inscription is in three lines seperated by two bands. A plain, flat loop is soldered across the top.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 2.8in
Marks and inscriptions
(There is an Arabic inscription on the amulet.)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Edmond Dresden
Summary
This silver amulet comes from the Atlas mountains in North Eastern Algeria. The amulet is inscribed in Arabic and would have been worn by a Kabyle berber. Silver was a very popular material for jewellery as it was seen as a symbol of purity and honesty and rural Kabyle communities preferred it to gold which they regarded as a sign of vice. This brooch was probably made by a Jewish silversmith as the Berbers thought working with metal was an inferior occupation. Jewish silversmiths dominated jewellery making in North Africa from the late 15th century until the late 19th century.
Collection
Accession number
283-1904

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMarch 28, 2007
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest