Decorative ornament - Brazil - Amulet





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Mid‑20th‑century Brazilian balangandán amulet pendant, made of bronze and copper, 23 cm high, 20 cm wide and 6 cm deep, in good used condition with minor signs of age and imperfections.
Description from the seller
It is a mid-20th-century balangandán pendant that preserves all the symbolic and festive expressiveness of these traditional Brazilian pieces, conceived as protective amulets and, at the same time, as jewelry loaded with cultural identity.
Here, the upper structure —worked in gold-toned metal with scrolls and vegetal motifs— acts as a small ornamental frontispiece from which hangs a set of pendants that form a vibrant, almost choreographic composition.
The metal fruits, modeled in detail — pomegranates, pears, stylized organic shapes — evoke abundance, fertility, and good fortune. Each one hangs with its own weight and movement, creating a visual rhythm that changes with light and gesture.
Among them stands out the carved hand, a protective symbol very present in pencas, adding a spiritual and apotropaic nuance to the ensemble.
The piece combines craftsmanship, Afro-Brazilian tradition, and popular aesthetics, with that hybrid character that makes pencas deeply personal objects: amulets worn close to the body, but also adornments that spoke of the history and beliefs of the wearer.
The gold-toned metal, softly aged, provides a warm patina that enhances the reliefs and gives unity to the piece.
It is an amulet full of life, meaning, and beauty, a fragment of culture turned into a jewel.
Certified shipping and careful packaging.
Seller's Story
It is a mid-20th-century balangandán pendant that preserves all the symbolic and festive expressiveness of these traditional Brazilian pieces, conceived as protective amulets and, at the same time, as jewelry loaded with cultural identity.
Here, the upper structure —worked in gold-toned metal with scrolls and vegetal motifs— acts as a small ornamental frontispiece from which hangs a set of pendants that form a vibrant, almost choreographic composition.
The metal fruits, modeled in detail — pomegranates, pears, stylized organic shapes — evoke abundance, fertility, and good fortune. Each one hangs with its own weight and movement, creating a visual rhythm that changes with light and gesture.
Among them stands out the carved hand, a protective symbol very present in pencas, adding a spiritual and apotropaic nuance to the ensemble.
The piece combines craftsmanship, Afro-Brazilian tradition, and popular aesthetics, with that hybrid character that makes pencas deeply personal objects: amulets worn close to the body, but also adornments that spoke of the history and beliefs of the wearer.
The gold-toned metal, softly aged, provides a warm patina that enhances the reliefs and gives unity to the piece.
It is an amulet full of life, meaning, and beauty, a fragment of culture turned into a jewel.
Certified shipping and careful packaging.

