Discover the beauty of this VERY RARE antique Venetian elbow millefiori mosaic glass trade bead, crafted with a unique multimurrine design and exquisite trail decoration. This stunning, hand-crafted bead is a remarkable piece from early 1900s Venice, renowned for its intricate artistry and captivating color patterns.
Size: Length: 36 mm Width: 10 - 11 mm
Condition: Excellent – please refer to photos for details.
Crafted in Venice using the millefiori ("thousand flowers") technique, this bead exemplifies traditional Italian artistry, where layers of colored glass are meticulously fused and sliced to create beautiful floral and geometric patterns. Known also as "mosaic" or "millefiori" beads, these pieces were highly valued as African trade beads, especially in Ghana and other parts of West Africa. Used as currency and symbols of prestige, millefiori beads hold deep cultural significance in African trade history, embodying a legacy of cross-cultural exchange and artisanship.
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