Name/Title
Paper cutEntry/Object ID
K_0533Tags
art around buildingDescription
See file for full Sotheby's description. Created to be hung in the birthing room or placed near the child's bed. Elaborate scrolling foliage and two pairs of lions symbolizing ideal human qualities (e.g., "strong as the lion; Avot 5:20). Text at center is Psalm 121, which is frequently inscribed on such documents as it is believed to provide protection. The text goes on to invite Adam and Eve in and exclude the demon Lilith and her cohorts in order to prevent them from entering the room to harm the newborn infant. Encircling the amulet are verses of the priestly benediction and Jacob's blessing to Menasseh and Ephraim: "The angel who has redeemed me from all harm-bless the lads. In them may my name be recalled, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they be teeming multitudes upon the earth" (Gen 48: 16). According to Yehudit Shadur, most surviving birth amulets of this type were created in the region of the Carpathian Mountains and southern Galicia.Made/Created
Date made
circa 1900Notes
Eastern or Central EuropeDimensions
Height
9-3/4 inWidth
8-1/2 in