Millefiori Venetian Trade Beads Africa JK BROWN COLLECTION

Description

Type of Object
Wound and decorated glass
Made In
Venice
Traded In
Africa
Approximate Age
Late 19th-Mid 20th Century
Overall Condition
Good. Some of our beads have traveled at least three continents, and have graced numerous owners. Small chips, corrosion, and pitting are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.
Damage/Repair
3 chipped beads, see photos for more details.
Bead Size
12-14 mm diameter. See picture with ruler for size comparison.
Brand
Unbranded
Style
Beads
Type
Strand of beads.
This beautiful strand of Millefiori beads includes bright colors of lime, green, yellow, blue and hints of red!
This strand is not intended to be a ready-to-wear necklace. Although the strand can be worn "as is," the raffia holding it together is not durable and may break with use. For this reason, we recommend that you restring the beads before wearing them.
From the JK Brown Collection:
Kathie and Jerry Brown have been collecting trade beads for more than 50 years. They had a business selling them for many years, called “Thunder and Lightning.” According to Jerry, “Kathie was the lightning, and I was the thunder!”
Their collecting began in 1967 when they met a Peace Corps volunteer who was selling his collection to finance a school for African children - and the Browns bought it all. Over the years, they've amassed thousands of strands of Venetian and other European trade beads, as well as made-in-Africa beds and jewelry. They sold at Mountain Man rendezvous and other events. Africa Direct is very proud to be the new owners of this extraordinary collection.
Additional information:
Millefiori is an Italian word meaning "a thousand flowers". Millefiori beads are also known as "mosaic" beads through out the world. The making of millefiori beads is a two step process. First the murrine or cane is made and then these are applied to a molten wound glass core and made into beads.
The millefiori beads made in Venice were imported by the thousands to Africa beginning in the late 1800s and traded or sold for various things. Most of the surviving bead sample cards, showing these beads as they were originally sold are dated to the 1920s, but this does not mean these beads were not made prior to that time. As shown on the bead timeline in the History of Beads (Dubin) millefiori beads are dated to the mid 1800 through the early 1900s.
Old millefiori beads started to be imported to the United States from Africa in the late 1960s and were sold as "Trade Beads" by the importers and African Traders. In fact, some African Traders today will show you millefiori beads if you ask for "Trade Beads".
Recommended reading:
VOLUME VI - MILLEFIORI BEADS FROM WEST AFRICAN TRADE (Picard)
CLM0121
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All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2022
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