Presenting a beautiful, rare red "Floral" Venetian wound glass trade bead with intricate trail decoration. This exceptional bead, featured in Picard's reference (Volume III, p. 6, bead 128), highlights the artistic legacy of Venetian beadmaking, known for its rich history and craftsmanship.
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Size: 23 x 11 mm
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Condition: Excellent, especially for a bead used in African trade in the early 1900s
The bead, crafted using the traditional lampwork technique, also known as wound glass beadmaking, was meticulously hand-shaped over an open flame in Venice. This process, which involves winding molten glass around a metal rod, produced vibrant and durable beads highly prized in West African trade routes, particularly in Ghana. Venetian trade beads like this were often used as currency and held immense cultural and economic importance in African markets.
Discover more exquisite Venetian lampwork beads from TribalGH by exploring our collections below:
