Superstition Gallery

Superstition is the belief in supernatural forces or powers that are not based on scientific knowledge

The Wicker Man (1973) UK One Sheet poster
Original British Lion poster artwork for the release of Robin Hardys The Wicker Man, featuring Christopher Lee and Ed Woodward

Los Caprichos by Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)
Francisco de Goya (1746-1828). Spanish painter and printmaker. Los Caprichos. Lo que puede un sastre! (What can a tailor!). Number 52. Aquatint. 1799. Reproduction by M. Segui i Riera

Netherlandish Proverbs illustrated in a village landscape
CH11386 Netherlandish Proverbs illustrated in a village landscape by Brueghel, Pieter the Younger (c.1564-1638); Private Collection; (add.info)

4-Leaf Clover - Barde
Clover plant with several four-leaf clusters

Heart of Midlothian, paving stones mosaic in front of St. Giles Cathedral, High Street, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Men-an-tol standing stones. This formation of standing stones is thought to be the remains of a Neolithic burial chamber, with the circular shaped stone forming the entrance

Judaism. Divine protection. Amulets. Jewish Museum Berlin. G
Judaism. Divine protection. Amulets. Often consisted of scrolls written in Hebrew and the texts were combined with motifs geom?tircos or magical figures

Witches Sabbath by Francisco de Goya
Francisco de Goya (1746-1828). Spanish romantic painter. Witches Sabbath, 1821-1823. Detail. Prado Museum. Madrid. Spain

Werewolves, illustration for Legendes Rustiques'
CHT170907 Werewolves, illustration for Legendes Rustiques by George Sand (1804-76) 1858 (litho) by Sand, Baron Dudevant Jean Francois Maurice (1823-89); Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs, Paris

A Moorish symbol to ward off the evil eye
SYMBOLS: EVIL EYE. A Moorish symbol to ward off the evil eye

Superstitions
An interesting instance of the popular aversion to walking under a ladder. A group of superstitious pedestrians find themselves in a bit of a scrum as they attempt to squeeze through the smallest gap

The Knight, Death and the Devil, 1513 (etching)
BEN208710 The Knight, Death and the Devil, 1513 (etching) by DAOErer or Duerer, Albrecht (1471-1528); 19x24.5 cm; Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Tuscany, Italy; (add.info.: The Christian knight)

Any Old Fairy Tale, 1919 (w / c on board)
SAV329253 Any Old Fairy Tale, 1919 (w/c on board) by Parsons, Arthur Wilde (1854-1931); Bristol Savages, Bristol, UK; (add.info.: painted January 1st, 1919; ); British, out of copyright

Those Superstitions by Bairnsfather
Those Superstitions Private Sandy McNab cheers the assembly by pointing out (with the aid of his pocket almanac) that it is Friday the 13th

Pulling the Wishbone
Pulling a wishbone to see who will come away with the larger part and the corresponding wish

East End Woman scared of dog making her to walk under ladder
" You never know you Luck." " Hi! Come back, yer Silly! Do yer want to spile yer Luck?" Date: 1892

Boy and Clover - 1
A boy walks through the snow carrying a very large four- leaved clover Date: 1910

Instructions for capturing a spirit
Capturing a spirit. Woodcut illustration of a diagram that shows the procedure for attempting inclosing a spirit in a christall

An illustration of a divinity employing exorcism and throwing from a magic bowl five
CHT265564 An illustration of a divinity employing exorcism and throwing from a magic bowl five poisonous animals (w/c on paper) by Chinese School (19th century); Bibliotheque Nationale

Good French wine brings luck: the French rugby team is preparing to beat the Irish team
XEE4185970 Good French wine brings luck: the French rugby team is preparing to beat the Irish team by drinking with wine brings from home

Illustration to the The Tale Synko-Philipko, 1890s. Artist: Polenova, Elena Dmitryevna (1850-1898)
Illustration to the The Tale Synko-Philipko, 1890s. Found in the collection of State V. Polenov Open-air Museum of History and Art, Polenovo

Basilica and River Gave, Lourdes, 1930s. Creator: Unknown
Basilica and River Gave, Lourdes, 1930s. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, France, is a destination for pilgrimage

Detail of the ankh held by Iwnit, 1405-1367 BC, Luxor statue cache (stone)
7062682 Detail of the ankh held by Iwnit, 1405-1367 BC, Luxor statue cache (stone) by Egyptian; Luxor Museum of Ancient Art, Egypt; (add.info.: Detail of the ankh held by Iwnit, 1405-1367 BC)

Detail of the ankh held by Hathor, 1405-1367 BC, Luxor statue cache (stone)
7062683 Detail of the ankh held by Hathor, 1405-1367 BC, Luxor statue cache (stone) by Egyptian; Luxor Museum of Ancient Art, Egypt; (add.info.: Detail of the ankh held by Hathor, 1405-1367 BC)

Pillar of Sesotris I depicted as Osiris, 1971-1926 BC, from Karnak (limestone)
7062657 Pillar of Sesotris I depicted as Osiris, 1971-1926 BC, from Karnak (limestone) by Egyptian; Luxor Museum of Ancient Art, Egypt; (add.info.: Pillar of Sesotris I depicted as Osiris)

Pillar of Sesotris I depicted as Osiris, 1971-1926 BC, from Karnak (limestone)
7062658 Pillar of Sesotris I depicted as Osiris, 1971-1926 BC, from Karnak (limestone) by Egyptian; Luxor Museum of Ancient Art, Egypt; (add.info.: Pillar of Sesotris I depicted as Osiris)

King Akhenaton wearing the double crown and holding Heka and Wast, 1365-1360, from Karnak (sandstone)
7062652 King Akhenaton wearing the double crown and holding Heka and Wast, 1365-1360, from Karnak (sandstone) by Egyptian; Luxor Museum of Ancient Art

Exorcism or witches. Painting by Francisco de GOYA Y LUCIENTES (1746-1828), 1797-1798
LRI4664714 Exorcism or witches. Painting by Francisco de GOYA Y LUCIENTES (1746-1828), 1797-1798. Oil on canvas. Madrid, Lazaro Galdiano Foundation by Goya y Lucientes

Miss Modern magazine fortune teller
Front cover of Miss Modern magazine for November 1931, featuring a young gipsy fortune teller with a crystal ball (and the free gipsy ring, found FREE inside the magazine!). Date: 1931

Dinner Party with Thirteen People
THIRTEEN AT TABLE - the hostesss ultimate nightmare ! Date: 1925

For Good Luck by William Heath Robinson
Training black cats to enter the front door at the stroke of twelve on New Years Eve. A contraption to encourage a New Year tradition imagined by the cartoonist William Heath Robinson. Date: 1919

Kissing the Blarney Stone, Ireland
Kissing the Blarney Stone, Blarney Castle near Cork, Ireland. Date: late 19th century

King Akhenaton wearing the double crown and holding Heka and Wast, 1365-1360, from Karnak (sandstone)
7062660 King Akhenaton wearing the double crown and holding Heka and Wast, 1365-1360, from Karnak (sandstone) by Egyptian; Luxor Museum of Ancient Art

Ear ornament or amulet, 19th century (bowenite)
1072466 Ear ornament or amulet, 19th century (bowenite) by Maori, (19th century); 12.065x1.5875x1.27000254 cm; Dallas Museum of Art, Texas, USA; given in memory of Jerry L. Abramson by his estate

Dogon Wheel, from Western Sudan (bronze)
HSC137100 Dogon Wheel, from Western Sudan (bronze) by African School; Private Collection; Photo © Heini Schneebeli

Soul Vessel (terracotta)
HSC181679 Soul Vessel (terracotta) by African School; diameter:43 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: tradition of burying the dead twice; in period between the two burials)

Elephant shaped charms, from Ghana (gold)
XBP228672 Elephant shaped charms, from Ghana (gold) by African School; Private Collection; Photo © Boltin Picture Library

Scarab from the neck bead of a mummy, Late Period, c.600 BC (blue glass paste)
BAL3633 Scarab from the neck bead of a mummy, Late Period, c.600 BC (blue glass paste) by Egyptian 26th Dynasty (664-525 BC); Pilkington Glass Museum, St.Helens, Merseyside, UK

The Bat, 1860 (oil on panel)
LAF470805 The Bat, 1860 (oil on panel) by Braekeleer, Ferdinand de (1792-1883); 105.6x142.7 cm; Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Ghent, Belgium; © Art in Flanders

The racemose Passionflower, Religious superstition
The racemose Passionflower, Passiflora racemosa, Religious superstition. Handcoloured lithograph by Dean and Munday after an illustration by Eliza Eve Gleadall from The Beauties of Flora

Tartar Woman making a Tsi, sacrificing the spirit of the door to prevent misfortune entering. Buddhist or Fo sect, Lao-Kiun

Not so lucky after all
Christophe Kiciak

Intersections
Mihnea Turcu

DEVIL ATTACKS SHIP, C15
A devil attacks a merchant ship in a storm while God watches from above Date: 15th Century

HOGARTH / CREDULITY
Credulity, Superstition and Fanaticism Date: 1762

Hamsa painted hands, Nefta, Tunisia
Hamsa painted hand signs on a house door to keep out evil and afford protection, Nefta, Tunisia Date: 1987

Tamara and Demon. Illustration to the poem The Demon by Mikhail Lermontov, c. 1880. Artist: Zichy, Mihaly (1827-1906)
Tamara and Demon. Illustration to the poem The Demon by Mikhail Lermontov, c. 1880. Found in the collection of State Lermontov Museum Tarkhany

Eddie Merton, superstitious stuntman, who always slept in a coffin on the night before a dangerous stunt. Seen here with a suitcase, helping to carry the coffin into his hotel. Date: 1971

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Superstition is the belief in supernatural forces or powers that are not based on scientific knowledge, and is often associated with magical thinking and can be found in many cultures around the world. Superstitions usually involve a fear of something bad happening if certain actions are not taken, such as avoiding walking under a ladder or crossing paths with a black cat. Other superstitions involve luck, such as carrying a lucky charm or throwing salt over one's shoulder and are be seen in religious practices, such as praying for good fortune or making offerings to gods and spirits. Regardless of its origin, superstition continues to influence people's beliefs and behavior today.