Ancient Roman Glass Janus necklace bead with the image of Medusa. 1st - 3rd century AD. 1.6 cm height.
No. 82768267
Ancient Roman Glass Yellow Beaded Necklace (No Reserve Price)
No. 82768267
Ancient Roman Glass Yellow Beaded Necklace (No Reserve Price)
An Ancient Roman restrung necklace composed of vibrant circular glass beads of different hues of yellow and amber. The beads gradually increase in size towards the centre, where the necklace lowers into a pendant like formation consisting of: a flat disc shaped bead, a pale yellow opaque boxy cylindrical bead, followed by translucent bright yellow spherical bead and finally ending with a small dark yellow spherical bead. Each bead presents a unique shape and slight different shade of colour and texture reflecting their antique and hand-crafted qualities. Such necklaces testify to the popularity of glass ornaments across the Roman Empire.
The mass production of glass in Ancient Rome prompted the development of glass jewellery. The ageing process of glass endows Roman glass jewellery with unique qualities. For instance, contaminants manufactured into the glass, exposed to the surrounding environment over thousands of years, result in beautiful lustres and speckling, where the glass might formerly have been transparent.
Measurements: 24cm half-length with folded (beaded section) and 41cm half-length (including the string).
Provenance: Ex private UK collection, acquired 1990s.
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