Enquiry about object: 9839
Venetian Tabular Trade Beads for the African Market
Venice for the colonial African market 1880s
circumference: approximately 66cm, width of beads: approximately 1.8cm, thickness of beads: approximately: 0.7cm, weight: 136g
Provenance
private collection, Canada. The collection was carefully assembled over the last 50 years.
This strand comprises 42 beads produced in Venice for the colonial West African market, in the 1880s.
The beads have a brick-red core and are trailed with white, green and blue glass lamp work with a ‘feather’ decoration.
Each bead is of flat or tabular disc form.
The strand retains its ‘native’ African stringing.
Such beads were produced in Venice specifically to appeal to various tribes in Africa.
An almost identical strand is illustrated in Panini (2007, p. 271).
Two of the 42 beads have a chip, but otherwise, the beads are in fine condition and show wear commensurate with age and use.
References
Panini, A., Middle Eastern and Venetian Glass Beads: Eighth to Twentieth Centuries, Skira, 2007.
