- Sold Out
Venetian chevron trade bead
Mauritania
Lenght: 26 mm
Weight: 15 gr
Diameter: 19 mm
Units: 1
BC0417-024
Superb six layered rosetta or chevron glass bead produced in Venice at the beginning of the XIX century.
Much apreciated by locals in the Sahara for its magical powers they would never be thrown out and could even be broken in pieces for inheritance distribution purposes. Fortunately this bead still is in pretty good condition.
European glass chevron trade beads were certainly the first to be traded in Africa as early the 15th century. They show a very characteristic “rosetta” o “star” layered decoration attained by giving form to glass in star shaped moulds. Layer after layer are applied to form a cane which is then cut in cylinders and ground to show the alternated chevron or star layers. They were first produced in the Venetian island of Murano at the Barovier glass factory. The rarest examples are very much coveted and they are quite commonly tagged by the number of layers they show.
We use the term trade beads to refer to the European made glass beads that were used by the European merchants and explorers in the trade in Africa as from the 15th century and continued during their colonial expansion. The history of trade beads in Africa takes us then to the 15th century and the arrival of the European, mainly the Portuguese, to the coasts of West Africa. The European discovered quite soon how much the people they met there fancied beads and saw they an opportunity for trade. Amongst the beads that captivated the African people most were glass beads since the techniques for their making had not yet been developed locally. The locals fell for the precious and colorful glass beads such as Venetian millefiori or chevron beads that the European traders had on offer and bartered them for commodities such as precious woods, ivory, gold and even used, ignominiously, in the slave trade. The increasing demand in Africa of European made glass beads continued quite until the first half of the 20th century and it had a boosting effect in the production in cities such as Venice which glass beads became very popular and coveted.
Superb six layered rosetta or chevron glass bead produced in Venice at the beginning of the XIX century.
Much apreciated by locals in the Sahara for its magical powers they would never be thrown out and could even be broken in pieces for inheritance distribution purposes. Fortunately this bead still is in pretty good condition.
European glass chevron trade beads were certainly the first to be traded in Africa as early the 15th century. They show a very characteristic “rosetta” o “star” layered decoration attained by giving form to glass in star shaped moulds. Layer after layer are applied to form a cane which is then cut in cylinders and ground to show the alternated chevron or star layers. They were first produced in the Venetian island of Murano at the Barovier glass factory. The rarest examples are very much coveted and they are quite commonly tagged by the number of layers they show.
We use the term trade beads to refer to the European made glass beads that were used by the European merchants and explorers in the trade in Africa as from the 15th century and continued during their colonial expansion. The history of trade beads in Africa takes us then to the 15th century and the arrival of the European, mainly the Portuguese, to the coasts of West Africa. The European discovered quite soon how much the people they met there fancied beads and saw they an opportunity for trade. Amongst the beads that captivated the African people most were glass beads since the techniques for their making had not yet been developed locally. The locals fell for the precious and colorful glass beads such as Venetian millefiori or chevron beads that the European traders had on offer and bartered them for commodities such as precious woods, ivory, gold and even used, ignominiously, in the slave trade. The increasing demand in Africa of European made glass beads continued quite until the first half of the 20th century and it had a boosting effect in the production in cities such as Venice which glass beads became very popular and coveted.