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539. Mosaic Bead

Accession Number 2004.13
Dimensions H. 2.0, W. 2.3 cm; Wt. 13.70 g
Date First century CE
Production Area Egypt or Italy. Reportedly found in Olbia, Ukraine
Material Translucent dark green, appearing black; opaque green, yellow, red, and white glass
Modeling Technique and Decoration Fusion of mosaic tesserae and winding
View in Collection

Condition

Complete.

Description

A spherical bead made of six rows of florets from five composite mosaic canes. These slices were fused together as a flat mass and subsequently folded around a rod and rolled. The seam of this folding is still visible along the edge of the hole in the bead. Each floret consists of a central green rod set in turn in yellow and red and then in a layer comprising 14 petals alternately dark green (appearing black) and white.

Comments and Comparanda

See cat. 537.

Provenance

Pierre Mavrogordato, Greek, 1870–1948; by 1974–1988, Erwin Oppenländer, 1901–1988 (Waiblingen, Germany), by inheritance to his daughter, Ingrid Reisser, 1988; 1988–2004, Ingrid Reisser (Böblingen, Germany), sold to the J. Paul Getty Museum, 2004

Bibliography

, p. 84, no. 237.

Exhibitions

Gläser der Antike: Sammlung Erwin Oppenländer (Hamburg and Cologne, 1974–1975)