Name of Object:

Buckle

Location:

Madrid, Spain

Holding Institution:

National Museum of Anthropology

 About National Museum of Anthropology, Madrid

Holding Institution (original language):

Museo Nacional de Antropología

Date of Object:

20th century

Inventory Number:

MNA3615

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Silver, chiselled

Dimensions:

8 x 11 cm

Description:

Silver buckle, chiselled with floral and vegetal motifs, and the application, in golden brass, of an eagle and two hands. This kind of motif as a symbolic protection against the evil eye is reminiscent of the beliefs held before the arrival of the Islamic religion. The eagle is considered to be a symbol of power and the open hand is the most powerful protective existing symbol, but equally it symbolises the five fundamental principles of the Islam. In the North of Africa, the jewels that represented the social status of their carriers have turned into accessible adornment to all the social classes, used with protective character, especially against the evil eye. They are also a symbol of the wealth of a woman when she marries.

Citation of this web page:

"Buckle" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2025.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;es;3;en

Copyedited by: Anne Dowell

MWNF Working Number: SP 003