Indian Plaque Amulet with Folk Drawing

Standing alone on a heart, a drawn figure jingles with dangling bells.

This plaque amulet with a folk drawing is Hindu, from Rajasthan, India. It is coin silver. Coin silver is an alloy with a fixed silver content, traditionally made from melted coinage, and jewelers in western India often used it for amulets. Wide and heart-shaped with two small loops at the top, the plaque has a hammered, dimpled surface. A narrow standing figure with a striped body is scratched in fine lines, and small round pendants hang from the lower edge on wire. It is 2.25 inches long and 3.5 high.

Doodled by hand and finished with jingly accessories.