Necklace of amulets to protect pregnant woman and her newborn child. Iranian Kurdistan or Iran, [late 19th or early 20th century].
Silver, cast and engraved; blue and red ceramic beads; seashell; bells.
Necklace for protection of pregnant woman and child. Includes large, round pendant with names of G-d; two doll-like pendants (image of baby constructed from colored beads and seashell); two triangular pendants; two cylindrical pendants (amulet cases); and bells.
Length: 40 cm.
References: Jews of Kurdistan: Lifestyle, Tradition, and Art, p. 182; Feuchtwanger Collection, item nos. 819, 823; Jewish Life in Art and Tradition, pp. 66, 71.