Group of silver and gemstone amulets, Southern Italy, 19th century

Height x width: 13 x 9 cm. Total gross weight: 138 g.

10 talismans with silver mounts decorated with phoenixes and leaves, representing 10 hands performing the ‘figa’ gesture.
The ‘fig-making’ gesture has ancient origins, dating back to the Etruscans and Romans, where it had an apotropaic function to exorcise evil spirits during sacred rites.
With the advent of Christianity, the gesture lost its ritual significance and became a vulgar symbol, as Dante attests in the Divine Comedy. Although today it has fallen into disuse as an offence, it survives in a harmless form in the game of ‘nasino’ and in Sardinia it still retains apotropaic or curse meanings.
The stones used range from Mediterranean red coral (Corallum Rubrum), onyx, purple quartz and tiger's eye.