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Necklace of snake vertebrae, Europe, 1871-1916
- Science Museum, London
- Digital Images
- Online
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
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Credit: Necklace of snake vertebrae, Europe, 1871-1916. Science Museum, London. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
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About this work
Description
The growing influence of biomedicine in the 1800s did not necessarily replace established forms of treatment based on belief and superstition. What could be referred to as folk medicine – customs that often went back generations – continued to be practised. For example, here the bones of a snake have been threaded on to string to make a rather uncomfortable looking necklace. It is thought that this amulet was used to protect against lower back pain – perhaps the fluid slither of a snake was thought to encourage the back muscles to stay supple.
The snake necklace was originally made in North London and then purchased in 1930 from Edward Lovett’s (1852-1933) collection of British amulets and charms. Lovett was interested in folk remedies all his life and began collecting from the age of eight.
maker: Unknown maker
Place made: Europe