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Bead

A work made of round glass bead with pattern of various size concentric circles, black, white, and turquoise. currently stored in embroidered box..
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of round glass bead with pattern of various size concentric circles, black, white, and turquoise. currently stored in embroidered box..

Date:

Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 B.C.), c. 5th c. B.C.

Artist:

China

About this artwork

The earliest examples of Chinese glass include polychrome beads like these, in which superimposed layers of different colors create eye-like motifs. Rich in lead and barium, these beads are chemically distinct from those of soda-lime glass made in Greek and Roman workshops of the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia, rare examples of which have been discovered in north and northwest China. Those foreign imports inspired Chinese craftsmen to create their own polychrome beads. Their burial contexts—strung together with jades to form pendant sets, or inlaid into bronze objects such as mirrors and garment hooks—indicate that Chinese patrons easily integrated these new creations into traditional art forms.

Status

On View, Gallery 132

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Bead

Place

China (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

770 BCE–445 BCE

Medium

Round glass bead with pattern of various size concentric circles, black, white, and turquoise. Currently stored in embroidered box.

Dimensions

2.1 × 2.1 cm (13/16 × 13/16 in.); Diam.: 2.1 cm (13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Ferdinando P. Musso

Reference Number

1948.124

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/129744/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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