Amuletic Pendant

Description On this side of the pendant is an eye, attacked by a lion, snake, scorpion, stork, and spears. According to the Testament of Solomon, a magical text dating to before the 3rd century AD. The image of the "much suffering eye" protected the wearer from the Evil Eye, which could do harm by its very glance. On the other side, Solomon, the Holy Rider, spears Lillith, the embodiment of evil.

Provenance L. Alexander Wolfe, Jerusalem, [date of acquisition unknown] by purchase; Sale [Auction XXIII], Frank Sternberg, Zurich, November 20, 1989, no. 176; Walters Art Museum, 1989, by purchase.

Inscriptions [Transcription] Εἰς Θεός / Εἰς Θεός ὁ νικῶν τὰ κακά. ΙΑΩΘ;[Translation] One God / [The] one God overcomes the evil. JHVH; [Transcription] eis theos nikoon ta kaka

Credit Museum purchase, 1989