Pendant with Fishes and Amulets
Title: Pendant with Fishes and Amulets, Part of a Set
Date: Late 18th century
Medium: Gold
Credit Line: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2022.463.7
This golden pendant from the late-18th century Ottoman Empire was part of a bridal headdress worn by a wealthy woman. The heavy gold material was often used as a woman’s dowry and was an important symbol of luxury and wealth. The fish details symbolized fertility and were used to ensure a healthy and prosperous life, as well as promising healthy children and easy childbirth for the bride that adorned them. The amulets were thought to have warded off evil and bad luck. Luxurious necklaces with similar golden fish and amulets can be found preserved in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul; those pieces of jewelry were likely worn by the Sultan's wives.