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Buy this image as a print
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Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Brass hand, flat sheet, left hand inscribed on upper side with intent to avert evil eye, Persian, 1880-1925, one of two hands the other owning R16909[A]
The fingers of this brass hand are inscribed in Arabic as an amulet to avert the ‘evil eye’. It was made in Persia (modern day Iran).
The evil eye has been a widespread belief that some people can cause harm to others simply by looking at them in a certain way. This ‘look’ may be given deliberately, in an attempt to cause harm, or accidentally, perhaps because of feelings of envy. The harm may take the form of bad luck, illness or death.
Details
- Category:
- Ethnography and Folk Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A665269
- Materials:
- brass
- Measurements:
-
overall: 2 mm x 102 mm x 50 mm, .03 kg
- type:
- amulet
- credit:
- Loan, Wellcome Trust (Purchased from Stevens)
