- Collection type
- Object
- Description
- Silver amulet whistle in the form of a hippocampi, (sea horse) protection against the evil eye. [FB 24/01/2012]
- Long description
- Silver amulet whistle in the form of a hippocampi, (sea horse) protection against the evil eye. The amulet is double sided and represents the mythological hippocampus, a creature with head and forequarters of a horse and tail of a fish. The creature is also winged, part of one of the wings is missing. In this instance has a unicorn horn on the head. The horse has raised forequarters. There are four bells attached to the bottom edge of the amulet and several metal loops suggesting that some bells are missing. There are silver loops at the tail and head of the amulet through which silver chains have been attached for suspension. There is a hollow tube of metal to be used as a whistle at the tail end of the amulet. The silver has been moulded and soldered together in several places.[FB 24/01/2012]
- Cultural groups
- Italian
- Date / Period
- Date made: Before 1880
- Date collected
- between 1880 - 1900
- Acquisition information
- Bequeathed: 05/07/2010
- Materials and processes
- Material Silver Metal, Material Metal, Process Incised, Process Perforated, Process Soldered, Process Moulded, Process Cast, Process Struck
- Dimensions
- Width: max 73 mm excluding chain, Length: max 112 mm excluding chain, Weight 47.4 g
- Object numbers
- Accession number: 2010.46.48 Other numbers: 17
- Research and responses
See 'Neapolitan Charms Against the Evil Eye' by Veronica Berry in Folklore, vo.79, No. 4 (Winter 1968), pp. 250 - 256: " The second group of amulets consists of (a) the hippocampi or sea horses... The hippocampus was a fabulous monster with head and forequarters like a horse and tail like a dolphin or fish, which pulled the chariots of Poseidon, the Sea God of Greek mythology. The story runs that Demeter implored the help of the Sirens when her daughter, Persephone, was abducted by Pluto, and that, mounted on the sea horses, they flew over land and sea until they found Persephone in the underworld. Subsequently the Neapolitan hippocampus evolved as a sprightly and engaging animal on its own with with wings borrowed from the hippograph, sometimes with the webbed feet of a heraldic sea horse and occasionally with the single horn of the unicorn. Its use in later Neapolitan history was as a baby's jingle, made of silver and ornamented with bells. If an encounter with a jettatore could not be avoided the hippocampus was jingled violently in front of the baby. The glance of the fascinator was diverted and the Evil Eye spent itself harmlessly on the hippocampus ..." [FB 24/01/2012]
and 'The Evil Eye An Account of this Ancient and Widespread Superstition', Chapter X 'The Cimaruta, Sirene, tablets' by Fredrick Thomas Elworthy (1895) [FB 24/01/2012]
See Eustace Neville-Rolfe, Naples in 1888, Trübner, 1888. [FB 24/01/2012]
See Eustace Neville-Rolfe, Naples in the Nineties a sequel to Naples in 1888, chapter II 'The Legendary Goddesses of Southern Italy'. Adam and Chas. Black, London, 1897 FB 25/01/2012]
Eustace Neville-Rolfe lived in Naples between 1880 and 1900 and was an enthusiastic researcher and collector of amulets against the evil eye. He first loaned artefacts to PRM in 1892 (including a lemon stuck with nails which is now on display) and subsequently in 1893, 1903 and 1908. Rofle was consul in Naples, he was part of a network of amulet specialists including many whose collections are now at PRM (AE Gunther and Elworthy in particular as well as Balfour). [FB 24/01/2012]
Search terms: Religion, Ornament, Music, Figure, Amulet, Pendant, Animal Figure, Fish Figure, Flute