Advanced Search 
View: Closed
Amulet Case
Early 19th-century
19th century
Medium/Technique
Silver
Dimensions
Overall: 7.8 x 7.2 x 1 cm (3 1/16 x 2 13/16 x 3/8 in.)
Lender accessory (Box): 9.5 x 9.5 x 9.5 cm (3 3/4 x 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 in.)
Lender accessory (Box): 9.5 x 9.5 x 9.5 cm (3 3/4 x 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Italo S. Servi in memory of Dolce Sadun Servi
Accession Number2016.401
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJudaica
ClassificationsReligious and cult objects
DescriptionUsed to hold an amulet inscription, and, following Italian Jewish tradition, hung over a baby’s crib to protect the child from harm and evil. This beautiful silver filigree example has the word “Shaddai” (biblical Hebrew name for God) on the front cover, and the Star of David on the back. In the family since the early 19th century, it was given to the present owner as a baby by his grandmother, in their native Pitigliano, an Italian town still known for its Jewish community and history. Members of his family are Holocaust survivors and he brought the amulet case with him when he came to America.
ProvenanceAbout 1826, Dolce Sadun Servi (b. 1826 – d. 1901), Pitigliano, Italy; by descent to her grandson, Aldo Gino Servi (b. 1881 – d. 1963) and his wife, Amelia Servi (b. 1886 – d. 1974), Gallarate, Italy; about 1950, given by Amelia Servi to her son, Italo Servi, Gallarate and Lincoln, MA; 2016, gift of Italo Servi to the MFA. (Accession Date: September 28, 2016)