1985.51.923

Collection type

Object

Description

Fossilised shark's tooth embedded in a phosphate concretion. Used as an amulet against cramp. [SM 12/05/2011]

Geographical reference

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Europe > Northern Europe > United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

England Suffolk Red Crag

Cultural groups

English

Person

Field collector Edward Lovett

PRM source Wellcome Institute

PRM source Wellcome Historical Medical Museum

Date / Period

Date made: Before 1933

Date collected

By 1933

Acquisition information

Transferred: 1985

Materials and processes

Material Stone, Material Fossil, Material Shark Tooth Fish

Dimensions

Width: max 31 mm, Length: max 52 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 1985.51.923 Other numbers: R 3824/ 1936 A 177249 L AM C lot 244

Associated publications

Illustrated in colour in the pamphlet accompanying the Reading Room displays at the Welcome Collection with the caption “Fossilised shark’s tooth in phosphate Natural materials UK RRa0194/1985.51.932 Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. This fossilised tooth was used to protect against cramp.” [FB 15/8/2016] Illustrated in colour on page 198 in ‘Reading Room Companion consisting of a rare and valuable collection of diverse curiosities acquired by and for Henry Wellcome with a great variety of books’ Written and compiled by Anna Faherty published in 2014 by the Wellcome collection, London. Illustrated alongside 1985.52.21, 1985.51.177, .340, .350 and. 361 with the caption “Amulets made from animals or animal parts. Pitt Rivers Museum. Any object can become a protective amulet or good-luck charm, so long as its owner belives (or hopes) it has the power to affect the world around them. Just as the value of an object in a museum collection is transformed from its intrinsic natural or functional purpose into something more representational, amulets are redefined and repurposed by those who use and value them. Derived from the Arabic term hamala, which means ‘to carry’, most amulets are worn in some way or kept in bags or pockets. The amulets and charms on display in the Reading Room were collected by three different individuals. There original owners employed them as protection against threats such as the ‘evil eye’, or hoped that they would bring fertility, good health and good luck. For full details on each amulet, please consult the dedicated Amulets, charms and votives booklet.” [FB 15/8/2016]

Search terms: Religion, Amulet