Lot 92 D‡α

According to Felix, these ivory amulets, called "muroha", were used by the Shi people either as necklace pendants or as charms for swords and knives. Usually carved at the bottom, they feature a small cavity that was filled with a magical charge. The author notes that it is not uncommon to observe on some of these amulets dotted lines. Devoid of aesthetic concerns, these lines serve no purpose other than preventing cracks in the ivory. Felix states that the twelfth pendant, from the right in the photograph of the present lot, appears to be the only known example adorned with a purely decorative pattern.