Ind. No. 113:Chaimali, a rectangular amulet case of copper alloy, accompanied by a chain for hanging on the chest. The case closes with a sliding lid at the top. On one side, it is decorated with floral designs, of which some protrude in high relief, while others are engraved in the background. The composition is placed in a frame of small dots in relief. Again inside a frame, the other side depicts stellar patterns and a rosette surrounded by circles in the middle. This amulet case, with its non-figurative decoration, is likely to have belonged to a Muslim.
19th century.
Dimensions: 7 x 9 x 1.5 cm.
3D object:
3D object
Translator:
Euphrosyne Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou
Author:
Euphrosyne Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou
Description:
Ind. No. 121:Chaimali, a rectangular amulet case of low-grade, cast silver, hanging from a broken chain. The case features a sliding lid on the narrow upper side. It is decorated with relief depictions of Saint George spearing the dragon on one side and the Virgin Mary with Christ Child on the other side. The depictions are surrounded by floral motifs and a decorative frame. The details of the iconography are engraved. The chaimalia were worn as amulets around the neck and were also used as cases for special items with protective properties, such as flowers from the epitaph, cotton with oil from pilgrimages, etc. Spells written on paper, known as diakavastika, were also hidden in such cases. This folk practice was also common in the Balkans and the East (for similar examples and references, see Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou 1996, 202-203 and 233 note 80).
