Enquiry about object: 10356
Moroccan Silver Hand of Fatimah Amulet Pendant
Casablanca, Morocco circa 1900
length: 11.8cm, width: 7.6cm, weight: 52g
Provenance
private collection, London, UK
This pendant, in the form of a Hand of Fatima, is of solid sheet silver has been engraved with arabesques and other foliate motifs around a central Hand of Fatima motif.
A silver loop at the top allows for suspension from a necklace.
The reverse has two indistinct maker’s/assay marks. One is likely to be for the Dar El Beida guild of silversmiths in Casablanca, and the other a stamp used between 1892 and 1925 meaning that the piece was assayed sometime within the date range.
Such pendants was worn as a talismanic device to ward away evil and bad luck. The Hand of Fatimah is a motif used widely in Morocco – on doors, as a motif on pottery and textiles, and so on.
Similar examples are illustrated in Grammet & de Meersman (1998, p. 309), and Rabate & Goldenberg (1999, p. 184-194).
The pendant is stable and wearable. It has a good patina relating to age and wear.
Above: An image from an early postcard of a Moroccan woman wearing a similar Hand of Fatimah amulet pendant.
References
Boele, V. (ed.), Morocco: 5000 Years of Culture, Kit Publishers/Lund Humphries, 2005.
Grammet, I., & M. de Meersman (eds.), Splendeurs du Maroc, Musee Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, 1998.
Mourad, K., F. Ramirez & C. Rolot, Arts et Traditions du Maroc, ACR Edition, 1998.
Rabate, M., & A. Goldenberg, Bijoux du Maroc, Edisud, 1999.
