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This Listing is for:
Witch Ball Sailors Love Tolken Lucky Charm Home Prottection Glass Handblown
Date: 19th Century
A witch ball is a hollow sphere of glass. Historically, witch balls were hung in cottage windows in 17th and 18th century England to ward off evil spirits, witches, evil spells, ill fortune and bad spirits.
The Witches ball is still today used extensively[citation needed] throughout Sussex, England and continues to hold great superstition with regard to warding off evil spirits in the English counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. The tradition was also taken to overseas British colonies, such as the former British colonies of New England, and remains popular in coastal regions. Examples of the Witches ball in use can be seen in the windows of houses throughout the counties anywhere from small rural villages to coastal towns and cities. Examples can also be seen in shop windows as well, often not for sale as they are so highly prized.
Origin
The witch ball originated among cultures where harmful magic and those who practiced it were feared. They are one of many folk practices involving objects for protecting the household. The word witch ball may be a corruption of watch ball because it was used to ward off, guard against, evil spirits. They may be hung in an eastern window, placed on top of a vase or suspended by a cord (as from the mantelpiece or rafters). They may also be placed on sticks in windows or hung in rooms where inhabitants wanted to ward off evil.
Superstitious European sailors valued the talismanic powers of the witch balls in protecting their homes. Witch balls appeared in America in the 19th century and larger, more opaque variations are often found in gardens under the name gazing ball. This name derives from their being used for divination and scrying where a person gazes into them dreamily to try to see future events or to see the answers to questions. However, gazing balls contain no strands within their interior. Glass studios traditionally make a witch ball as the first object to be created in a new studio.
Purpose
There are several variations relating to the purpose of witch balls. According to folk tales, witch balls would entice evil spirits with their bright colours; the strands inside the ball would then capture the spirit and prevent it from escaping. Another tradition holds that witch balls or spherical mirrors prevented a witch from being in a room, because witches supposedly did not have a reflection or could not bear seeing their own reflection.[1] Yet another variation contends that witch balls were used to avert the evil eye, by attracting the gaze of the eye and preventing harm to the house and its inhabitants.
In the 17th century, witch balls and witch bottles were filled with holy water or salt. Balls containing salt were hung up in the chimney to keep the salt dry. Salt was a precious commodity, and breaking the ball or bottle was considered bad luck.
info extracted from Wikipedia
Witch Ball Sailor Love Tolken Lucky Charm Home Protection Green Glass Handblown
Possibly made of a fishing float while at sea and wishing for home
A rare survivor of Folk Art
Circa 1700
Amber Green Glass
Primitive Engraved moto:
"East West Home is Best"
"Love" within a star
Some other indistinct drawings
Dimensions:
9.3 cm in diameter approx.
Condition:
Good antique condition: Mild Wear
Please see all photos
Provenance: From a large private UK collection
More beautiful Antique Kugel Glass Ornaments & Witches Balls available
Please see last photos
***In the summer of 2013 our shop featured in the BBC series Antiques Road Trip; we have also worked with prop-masters and costume designers in the film industry, supplying jewellery and antiques for productions such asMr Holmes(with Ian Mckellan),Viceroys House(directed by Gurinder Chadha), the upcoming Disney productionMaleficient II, and the TV seriesDownton Abbey.
