Hamsa Plate in Ceramics from Fez

This wall plaque in the shape of a hand (hamsa or khamsa) was hung above the doorway to ward off the evil eye and protect the house, in an apotropaic belief shared by Jews and Muslims in Morocco. The five-fingered hand is one of the most widespread protective symbols around the Mediterranean, long integrated into the popular culture of Maghrebi Jewish communities. Fez ceramics, renowned for its enamels and characteristic blue on white background, render it enhanced with geometric motifs particular to the city's art. As a domestic protection object, it illustrates the inscription of apotropaic beliefs in the material culture of Moroccan Judaism.