Lot 147, Auction 4/3/2026: Multi-Cultural Stone, Faience & Glass Bead Necklace

$585.00

In stock

Eastern Mediterranean and Europe, including Persian, Egyptian, Roman, and Frankish cultures, ca. 12th century BCE to 20th century CE. A remarkable strand of ancient beads unites more than three millennia of craftsmanship in a single wearable composition. Comprised of Persian, Egyptian, Roman, and Frankish examples in glass, stone, and faience, the necklace presents a quiet dialogue across cultures and centuries. The central portion features larger translucent and opaque glass beads in soft greens, pale aquas, and milky whites, their surfaces softly weathered by time. Cylindrical and barrel forms are interspersed with rounded and irregular shapes, creating a rhythmic interplay of scale and texture. Smaller disk beads graduate along the strand, leading toward vivid accents of bright yellow and green glass near the clasp – subtle flashes of color not readily visible in the photographs but integral to the overall design. Size of largest bead: 1″ L x 0.5″ W (2.5 cm x 1.3 cm); of strand: 20.5″ L (52.1 cm)

Faience elements echo the luminous blue-green hues long associated with ancient Egypt, while Roman and later Frankish glass beads reflect evolving techniques in molding and drawing. Persian contributions add tonal warmth and variation in stone and early glass forms. Together, these components embody the enduring human impulse to adorn, trade, and transform raw materials into objects of beauty. Restrung on a modern cord with a magnetic clasp for secure and comfortable wear, the necklace allows these ancient beads – spanning from the 12th century BCE through the 20th century CE – to be appreciated once more as living adornment.

Condition: Collection of ancient to 20th-century beads all strung on a modern clasp to be wearable. Nicks, chips, and abrasions to beads commensurate with age, but, otherwise, all are very nice with bright pigments.

Provenance: ex-Moore collection, Houston, Texas, USA; Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all purchases.

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