The cameo-style pendant,Made of mother of pearl, was donated to the museum by Małgorzata Melchior. It was part of the collection of the donor's husband, a history enthusiast who collected objects connected with the history of Polish Jews.
The central oval of the pendant features an ornamental six-pointed Star of David surrounded by floral ornaments. The shape of the star is slightly elongated, "trimmed" to an oval. The mother of pearl is set in silver; the setting is openwork, made in filigree technique. A metal pendant is attached to the top of the frame.
The Star of David is one of the most well-known and widespread symbols of both Judaism and the Jewish people. By the Jews it is called the shield of David, in gnosis and other systems of esoteric knowledge - called the seal of Solomon (see about kabbalah: https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/slownik/kabala). The origin of the symbol is not clear.
At the end of the 19th century the Star of David became an emblem of the Zionist movement, which resulted in a strong association of this symbol with politics. As Adam Fijałkowski reminds us in his article about the symbols of Judaism (https://www.jhi.pl/artykuly/symbole-judaizmu-symbole-ludzkosci-gwiazda-dawida,4103, accessed 1 October 2021), it is a frequent phenomenon that symbols of the past are used by contemporary political movements. This process is described by Manfred Lurker in his synthesis "The message of symbols in myths, cultures and religions" (https://www.jhi.pl/artykuly/symbole-judaizmu-symbole-ludzkosci-gwiazda-dawida,4103, accessed 1 October 2021): "People in political power use quite consciously the suggestiveness of ancient symbols. One glance at an array of state flags is enough to realise that the star is one of the most common symbols of a country's sovereignty and a nation's emancipatory aspirations".
The pendant is stylised as a cameo - one of the oldest forms of jewellery, a kind of miniature relief; in ancient times images of rulers, gods or mythological scenes were recorded in cameos. Originally cameos were made of semi-precious stones, later, as their popularity grew, they were also made of mother-of-pearl. In the second half of the 19th century cameos became a common element of mourning jewellery; for centuries cameos were collected by the wealthiest collectors (https://www.korallo.pl/blog/kamea-najbardziej-intrygujacy-element-stylu-vintage/, accessed 1 October 2021).
Natalia Różańska
