Amulet holder, Central Asia, 19th century, Silver, with niello inlay, table-cut carnelians

Amulet holder, Central Asia, 19th century, Silver, with niello inlay, table-cut carnelians

Inner Asia is famous for the jewelry of its more than 30 Turkmen tribes, produced in silver, decorated with talismanic inscriptions, and adorned with carnelian or turquoise. Each element--metal, writing, and precious stones--is carefully chosen to offer protection and healing. Whether carried around the neck, hung from the head, or mounted above a doorway, the amulet would include small tubes containing written words of blessing, along with chains ornamented with bells
to unite sight and sound in the object’s apotropaic effect. The heart-shaped amulet is a dorsal ornament, common in Turkmen jewelry, made to hang from the wearer’s head and extend down the back.

Wolf Collection

19th century

Photographer credit: Courtesy of the Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf Collection

Wolf Collection

Materials: Silver, with niello inlay, table-cut carnelians

M.M. Wolf Collection LI2021.30.3, M.M. Wolf Collection LI2021.30.4, M.M. Wolf Collection LI2021.30.5, M.M. Wolf Collection LI2021.30.6, M.M. Wolf Collection LI2021.30.7, M.M. Wolf Collection LI2021.30.10

Central Asia