Quick Specs
- Type: Evil eye dreamcatcher wall hanging, eye-shaped
- Size: 15 by 26 inches
- Frame: Black almond-shaped hoop with a black web
- Iris: Round stitched medallion with a blue star-shaped border, white field, light blue rays and a black pupil
- Feathers: A row of blue feathers above a row of long black feathers
- Beads: Black beads on black cords
A Black Eye Drawn in Hoop, Web and Feathers
The frame itself is the eye: a long, almond-shaped hoop wrapped in black, with its two ends crossing in small X’s like the corners of an eye. Fine black thread forms the web in a radiating pattern on each side, and in the middle a round inner hoop holds the iris. That iris is a stitched medallion with a blue star-shaped border, a white field, a ring of light blue rays and a black pupil at its heart. Below the frame, a row of blue feathers hangs on black cords strung with black beads, and beneath them a longer row of black feathers hangs on more cords and beads, the two rows overlapping a little where they meet. The hanging measures 15 by 26 inches, so it fills a stretch of wall. Almost everything is black, which makes the blue and white medallion the brightest point, and the blue feathers repeat that color along the lower edge of the frame. The black feathers are the longest part of the piece and draw the outline down in a dark fringe. In a bright room the black frame reads as a bold outline, and the medallion looks like a jewel set in it.
The evil eye is the belief in a curse brought about by a malevolent glare, usually inspired by envy. Reference works place it across the Mediterranean, the Balkans, West, Central and South Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, and the eye amulet is called nazar boncuğu in Turkey and mati in Greece. Traditional nazar beads are handmade glass in concentric rings of dark blue, white, light blue and black, and the iris here uses the same four colors, with a white ring around a blue star and a black pupil in the center. In Turkish belief, blue acts as a shield against evil. The black web and the hoop around it follow the dreamcatcher, a form that comes from Anishinaabe culture, where the traditional piece is a willow hoop with a woven net. A museum catalogue lists glass eye beads among the commonest amulets against the evil eye, worn or carried. This hanging draws the eye as a whole, with the medallion as its iris, and it is a decorative piece that brings the two traditions together.
Practical Ways to Display It
At 15 by 26 inches this hanging needs a plain wall with space on all sides, so choose the wall above a sofa, a bed, a desk or a console table, or a stretch of hallway where it can be seen from a distance. A strong nail, a screw hook or a wall anchor takes the cord at the top, and a darker wall makes the black frame blend while a pale wall makes it stand out. Leave room beneath for the black feathers to hang straight, and keep the cords and feathers away from candle flames and incense. It suits a dark-toned room with black, gold or blue accents. A large eye like this also works as a housewarming gift. See my wall hangings and chimes collection for more pieces made to hang.
How to Hang and Care for the Eye-Shaped Dreamcatcher
Three steps cover choosing the wall, hanging the piece securely and caring for the feathers.
- Choose the Wall and Mark the Spot
Hold the dreamcatcher against the wall with a helper if you can, and step back to check the height. The piece measures 15 by 26 inches, so mark a spot with clear space on every side and room for the feathers to hang straight beneath. Avoid shelves, door edges and lamps that would touch the lower feathers.
- Hang It Securely
Set a hook or nail that suits your wall and take the cord at the top over it. A piece this large needs a secure mount, so use a sturdy hook, and add a wall anchor in plaster or drywall when there is no stud behind your mark. Let the piece settle for a minute, then check that the frame sits level and the feathers fall evenly beneath it.
- Protect the Feathers
Conservation guidance says brightly colored feathers fade quickly under strong light and that dampness damages them, so keep the piece out of direct sun and away from steamy rooms. Feathers bend and lose color when rubbed, so handle them gently. Look the feathers over once or twice a year for moths or carpet beetles, which feather objects attract.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock this hanging because it makes the evil eye the shape of the whole piece, with a hoop and web for the eye and a stitched medallion for the iris, at a size that fills a wall. The dreamcatcher form comes from Anishinaabe culture, and the evil eye is a living folk belief in Turkey, Greece and many other places. This piece is a decorative reference to both, an entry point and never a stand-in for the teachings of the people who keep them. If you want to learn what a dreamcatcher means and how one is made and given, start with Anishinaabe teachers and writers. See my dream catchers collection for more hangings in this style.
Frequently Asked Questions
A museum catalogue says amulets worn or carried against the evil eye share one feature, an eye-shaped design that may be realistic or highly stylised. Nazar beads show it as concentric circles or teardrop shapes in dark blue, white, light blue and black. A hoop drawn as an almond with an iris at its center takes that idea literally and shapes the whole piece as an eye.
One account says a feather was traditionally placed in the center of the web and stood for breath or air, which is essential for life. The same page ties owl feathers to wisdom and eagle feathers to courage. Wikipedia says hoops could be decorated with sacred items such as certain feathers or beads. The black and blue feathers on this hanging are part of its design, and the people who make traditional dreamcatchers are the best guides to what feathers mean.
Sources name the Ojibwe, an Anishinaabe people, as the originators. A Native technology and art page says many people credit the Lakota by mistake. Wikipedia adds that Ojibwe dreamcatchers became popular with other nations, including the Cherokee, Lakota and Navajo, and that the dreamcatcher became a symbol of unity among Native American cultures in the 1960s and 1970s.
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