Antique Venetian millefiori glass trade beads, restrung as a necklace with earrings, 65 cm.

A group of antique Venetian glass trade beads, including millefiori (mosaic) and drawn examples, presented as a necklace with a matched pair of bead earrings. These beads were manufactured in Venice and widely exported to West Africa, where they were incorporated into systems of personal adornment, exchange, and status display.

The present arrangement is a modern composition: the beads have been restrung by the current owner to form a wearable necklace and earring set. The individual beads retain characteristics of traditional Venetian production, including layered cane construction and polychrome patterning. Surface wear, minor abrasions, and variation in form are consistent with age and circulation. Such assembled strands are collected for the historical significance of the beads themselves rather than as intact period necklaces.

Circa: Late 19th – early 20th century (beads); later restrung

Provenance:
Egon Guenther Collection; by descent to the Thomas Guenther Collection

Measurements:
Length: 65 cmWeight: 171 g