Bead
CultureChinese
Date4th-3rd century B.C.E.
MediumGlass
DimensionsOverall: 1 inches (2.54 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number34-149/2
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 231
Collections
DescriptionBlue glass bead: eight impressed compound eyes in blue and white. Hole through the center.Gallery LabelGlass 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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