This gold amulet (tangkal in Baba Malay) comprises a tiger’s claw (kuku arimo in Baba Malay), with gold filigree work attached to create the form of a fish. The piece is attached by chains to a gold brooch decorated with motifs of sea creatures. These were created using the repoussé technique, where the metal is hammered on the reverse side to create designs in low relief. Chinese and Peranakan Chinese wore amulets like for protection against evil, sickness and bad luck. Tiger claws were believed to ward off black magic and ‘unclean’ spirits (barang kotor in Baba Malay) associated with disease.
