Millefiori Beads from the West African Trade (Beads from the West African Trade, Vol VI)

John Picard; Ruth Picard; Jamey D Allen

ISBN 10: 0962288411 / ISBN 13: 9780962288418

Published by Carmel : Picard African Imports, 1991

About this Item

88 pages with 68 full color plates featuring over 3000 Venetian beads traded in Africa. Seller Inventory # PGPICARD02

Bibliographic Details

Title: Millefiori Beads from the West African Trade...

Publisher: Carmel : Picard African Imports

Publication Date: 1991

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: New

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

Trade beads (sometimes called aggry and slave beads) were otherwise decorative glass beads used between the 16th and 20th century as a token money to exchange for goods, services and slaves. Trade beads were used to exploit African resources by early Europeans. The beads traded were not of a set design, but were produced according to demand. Millefiori (thousand flower) beads from Venice, Italy were one of the most commonly traded beads, and are commonly known as 'African trade beads.' They were produced by creating flowers or stripes from glass canes, that were then cut and moulded onto a core of solid color. Beads such as the kiffa beads of Mauritania are thought to have resulted from women creating powdered glass beads to mimic the appearance of millefiori beads.