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Necklace (ashän ketab) with amulet pendants (tälsäm) and bead
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Ornate filigree jewelry was historically made in Ethiopia for royals and nobility by specialized silversmiths trained through long apprenticeships. This gold-washed silver necklace is composed of numerous box-shaped amulet pendants ( tälsäm) meant to ward off the evil eye or other dangers. Linked to Islamic amuletic practices, the boxes are effective whether empty or whether they contain magical or prayerful texts. Their fine filigree and granulation work is characteristic of Harar as well as the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian city of Aksum.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineNecklace (ashän ketab) with amulet pendants (tälsäm) and bead, late 1800s or early 1900s. Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, unknown silversmith. Mercury-gilded copper alloy. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Raymond A. Silverman, 2025.154
