Bead
CultureChinese
Date4th-3rd century B.C.E.
MediumGlass
DimensionsOverall: 1 1/4 inches (3.18 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number34-150
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 231
Collections
DescriptionHorned blue glass bead with stratified eyes in blue, yellow, and white. Round bead with protuberances.Exhibition HistoryExhibition of Early Chinese Art, Mills College, Oakland, CA, October 10-November 25, 1934.
Corning New York Museum of Glass, 1951.
Glass beads imported from Western Asia begin to appear in China around the 6th century B.C.E. They were highly prized for their translucency and color and were often placed in the coffins of the elite or threaded through silk cords attached to bronze mirrors. The Chinese soon produced their own, chemically distinct versions containing significant amounts of lead and barium. The protruding "eyes" were built up by dripping droplets of molten glass onto the surface.
Purchased through Laurence Sickman by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1934.
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