Bidspirit auction | AN ISLAMIC ENGRAVED CARNELIAN AND

AN ISLAMIC ENGRAVED CARNELIAN AND SILVER TALISMANIC PENDANT WITH ARABIC INSCRIPTIONS. - This item is an oval, flat-backed carnelian pendant, often referred to as a hili or lawh, mounted in a simple silver frame. The primary stone is a deep red carnelian showing natural translucent and darker brownish-red inclusions. The metal mount features two small loops at the top for suspension. The surface of the stone is densely engraved with Arabic script in a cursive Naskh style. The central field features the Basmala (In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) followed by portions of the Ayat al-Kursi (The Throne Verse, Quran 2:255). A border of script encircles the central text, containing further religious verses or prayers. Visual analysis confirms the script is definitively Arabic rather than Hebrew. Such amulets were frequently used by Mizrahi Jewish communities living within the Ottoman and Persian empires, where Islamic talismanic traditions influenced local Jewish practice. The piece is aniconic, relying on the sacred nature of the calligraphy for its protective function.  Approximately 5.2 x 4.2cm