|
Full Citation |
Material Information |
|
Title: |
Necklace with Porte Koran (xirsi) |
|
Physical Description: |
Silver, agate, amber, ivory 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm) |
|
Creator: |
Somali People |
|
Donor: |
Katheryne Loughran and John Loughran, President, Foundation for Cross Cultural Understanding ( donor ) |
Subjects |
|
Subject: |
Exhibition -- Between the Beads: Reading African Beadwork |
|
Spatial Coverage: |
Africa -- Somalia |
Notes |
|
Abstract: |
Married Somali women collected lavish jewelry to demonstrate personal wealth and economic independence. In addition to its opulence, this elaborate necklace provides the wearer with protection from disease and the evil eye, both from the amber beads and the koranic script inserted into the tubular pendant (porte Koran), known as a xirsi, or “protection.” Amber has an ancient reputation as a medicinal and spiritually protective substance, perhaps because rubbing amber produces an electrical charge. Amber, copal and other yellow or red stones, such as red agate and carnelian, are seen as having similar prophylactic and healing properties. |
Record Information |
|
Bibliographic ID: |
UF00083075 |
|
Volume ID: |
VID00001 |
|
Source Institution: |
Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art |
|
Holding Location: |
Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art |
|
Rights Management: |
All rights reserved by the source institution and holding location. |
|
Resource Identifier: |
2005.28.2 |
|
|