Romano-Egyptian face bead, probably Medusa

ITEM: Face bead, probably Medusa
MATERIAL: Mosaic glass
CULTURE: Romano-Egyptian
PERIOD: 1st Century B.C - 1st Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 13 mm diameter
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex Dutch private collection, acquired before 2000s
PARALLEL: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession number 52.11.15. Corning Museum of Glass, accession number 62.1.25

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export Licence. If you are from outside the European Union, we will have to apply for the export licence again for your country, this takes 3 to 5 weeks and has a cost of 5% of the hammer price, this amount will be added to the final invoice.

The glass mosaic beads were created using a core-forming technique, where small glass pieces were arranged and fused onto a core of molten glass. This method allowed artisans to produce a wide range of patterns and colors, using materials like blue, green, red, yellow, and white glass, which were then molded into bead shapes. Some beads were made using a process known as cane glass, where glass rods were stretched and cut into small pieces to create a mosaic effect. The beads were often cylindrical, spherical, or disc-shaped, with some featuring additional decorative elements, such as gold leaf or inlays of semi-precious stones like lapis lazuli. These beads were then strung together to create necklaces, bracelets, or other forms of jewelry, reflecting the fusion of Roman luxury and Egyptian artistry.