Object description
This delicate coral amulet with silver-gilt mounts may look decorative today, but hundreds of years ago it served a very different purpose: protecting a child from ill-health.
Coral was widely believed to ward off danger and the “evil eye,” and branches like this were worn on long chains around children’s necks in early portraits as a kind of protective talisman.
Seen here in Madonna and Child and Angels by Allegretto Nuzi (c. 1360).
Madonna and Child and Angels, Allegretto Nuzi, c. 1360. Image courtesy of National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA.
Coral Amulet_Hunt Collection
The cultural significance of the colour coral
The story of coral goes even further back. Ancient Greeks and Romans treasured coral it was woven into myths such as the tale of Perseus and Medusa, in which Medusa’s blood gave rise to red coral, and Romans hung coral around children’s necks to keep them safe.
Later, coral became a sought-after material across Europe and beyond, cherished not only for its colour and beauty but for its significance as a symbol of vitality, protection, and life itself.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, travellers on the Grand Tour brought coral jewellery back from Italy as souvenirs, fashionable tokens of culture that still carried echoes of those ancient beliefs. Today we rely on science, nutrition, and healthcare to look after our wellbeing, but this little object reminds us that the desire to protect, care for and nourish each other is timeless.