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Medieval Viking / Byzantine / Islamic mosaicbead
Date:9th Century CE
Translucent dark cobalt-blue glass bead of elongated pear-shaped form, decorated with three applied composite mosaic eyes. Each eye consists of a yellow central pupil enclosed by a red annular band and an outer zone of alternating opaque white and blue radial segments. The eyes are embedded in the dark blue matrix and distributed around the circumference of the bead. Longitudinal perforation.
Dimensions: L. 14 mm; D. 10 mm. Intact. Excellent condition.
Although no direct parallels for the bead's overall form and decorative arrangement have been identified, identical mosaic eye canes occur on several well-documented beads of the same period, including examples published:
V.Kovalevskaya, Komputernaya obrabotka massovogo arhaeologicheskogo materiala is rannesrednevekovih pamyatnikov Evrasii, Moscow, 2000, p. 94 #268, 273
- A.Panini, Middle Eastern and Venetian Glass Beads, Skira, 2007, p. 88# XVIII,XIX
