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Antique Venetian millefiori glass trade beads, made in Venice, Italy for the African trade. This group of 10 beads is a beautiful old example with a vivid orange ground over a dark/black glass matrix and repeating multicolored millefiori cane decorations in red, white and blue.
The bead was handmade using traditional Venetian mosaic/millefiori techniques, with slices of complex glass cane applied to the surface of the wound glass bead. Millefiori beads of this type were produced in Venice in large numbers during the 19th and early 20th centuries and exported extensively to Africa as trade goods. The Corning Museum of Glass dates comparable Venetian millefiori trade beads broadly to 1845–1950.
Approximate age: late 19th to early 20th century
Origin: Venice, Italy
Material: Glass
Type: Millefiori / mosaic African trade bead
Color: Orange, black, red, white and blue
Size: Approx. 3/4” across — please refer to ruler photos for exact dimensions.
Good antique condition with expected surface wear, small nicks/dings and irregularities from age, manufacture and use. The wear and asymmetry are part of the character of an old handmade trade bead. Please examine all photographs carefully for condition.
