Ancient Tabular Folded Glass Bead, Islamic Period, Black & White, 31x36mm
SKU: GLA-83
Sale price
$900.00
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Description
- Large and spectacular ancient black and white tabular folded bead 31x36mm
- From the Islamic period of glass bead making about 8th to 12th century
- Ancient Syria is a likely origin for this bead
- The folded glass bead technique was originally invented during the Early Islamic Period (about 700 AD) to imitate the black and white bands of popular agate beads.
- Folded beads continued to be wildly popular until around 1400 AD when the European glass makers (Venetian and others) began dominating the field.
- The technique was lost, but contemporary artists have been working to rediscover it. First, Jamey Allen recreated it in Fimo, then Tom Holland mastered it in glass.
- In brief it involves a multi-step process in which a ring of patterned glass is folded in on itself with the result that the two sides (on both front and back) of the bead mirror each other.
- Folded beads are often tabular, but also appear in round, and other shapes.