Pear-shaped silver pendant and square rupee
- Made:
- 1880-1930 in Middle East
- maker:
- Unknown
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Science Museum Group Collection
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Silver pear shaped pendant, with silver square rupee, both engraved with Qur’anic verses, Near East, 1880-1930
The practice of carrying amulets or charms to bring good luck or good health through protection against disease has an extremely long history. Both the pear-shaped pendant and rupee are engraved with verses from the Qu’ran, the holy book of Islam. The pendant bears part of Āyat al-Kursī (Qur’an 2:255), while the rupee appears to carry the profession of faith, lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muḥammad rasūl Allāh (There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is his Messenger). Āyat al-Kursī is associated in Islamic devotional and protective traditions with safeguarding the body, household, and individual against harmful forces, including supernatural danger.
These items were purchased on Henry Wellcome's behalf from Stevens' Auction Rooms in 1930. The sales catalogue listed the item as a 'Rare old Arab silver amulet, with writings from the Koran, and asking for the recovery of a child from sickness'. It is unclear from this description whether the rupee was attached to the pendant at the time, but the 1936 Wellcome Historical Medical Museum accessions register describes the latter as a 'silver square rupee of Akbar Shah used for tying against head for headache.'
Details
- Category:
- Ethnography and Folk Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A111473
- Materials:
- silver
- Measurements:
-
square: 2 mm x 21 mm x 21 mm,
rupee: 3 mm x 21 mm x 21 mm,
pendant: 5 mm x 50 mm x 80 mm, .022 kg
- type:
- pendant
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust (Purchased from Stevens)
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