Image: Italian - Marten's Head - Walters 571982 - Profile

Description: This jeweled marten's head is nearly identical to that attached to the fur held by the countess in Veronese's portrait of Countess da Porto (Walters 37.541) and is displayed here in a similar way. The animal was associated with childbirth, and wearing its fur was believed to increase a woman's fertility and protect her during pregnancy. Since antiquity, the marten had been thought to conceive through its ear or mouth (and therefore chastely). The dove on the creature's nose may be a symbol of the Holy Ghost and further allude to Mary's miraculous conception. This would add to the amulet's protective powers.
Title: Marten's Head (this type of "animal" or fur chocker is called "zibellino" = sable, plural = zibellini (Itl.))
Credit: Walters Art Museum: Home page  Info about artwork
Author: Anonymous (Italian artist)Unknown author
Permission:   This work is free and may be used by anyone for any purpose. If you wish to use this content, you do not need to request permission as long as you follow any licensing requirements mentioned on this page. Wikimedia Foundation has received an e-mail confirming that the copyright holder has approved publication under the terms mentioned on this page. This correspondence has been reviewed by an OTRS member and stored in our permission archive. The correspondence is available to trusted volunteers as ticket #2012021710000834. If you have questions about the archived correspondence, please use the OTRS noticeboard. Ticket link: https://ticket.wikimedia.org/otrs/index.pl?Action=AgentTicketZoom&TicketNumber=2012021710000834
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No