Indian Plaque Amulet Depicting Naga with Sun and Moon

The serpent coils at the center, the sun and moon keep watch on either side.

This plaque amulet depicting Naga with sun and moon is Hindu, from Rajasthan, India, in coin silver. Nagas are serpent deities widely honored across India, often associated with water, fertility and protection, and amulets bearing their image have long been worn for safekeeping. A spiraled snake rises in high relief from a leaf-shaped plate, hood raised. A rayed sun sits at upper left and a crescent moon at upper right, with wavy serpents along each side and a sprouting plant below. Beaded borders trace the edge, and a small figure crowns the loop. It is 1.7 inches long and 2.75 high.

Small enough for a pocket, crowded enough for a cosmos.