Bead
18th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Beads played an important role in early global trading networks. From the late 15th century the international trade in beads became increasingly dominated by glass beads produced by manufacturers in Venice, the Netherlands, Bohemia and Moravia. European glassmakers were even able to reproduce forms of bead made of precious and organic materials: stone, crystal, shell and bone.
This spherical crystal bead was made in the Netherlands in the 18th century. It was given to the Museum in 1904 by Moses Lewin Levin, a London bead merchant who ran an import-export business between 1839 and 1913. The business specialised in European glass beads intended for use in trade in Africa but this crystal bead suggests it also kept examples of older, more valuable forms of bead.
This spherical crystal bead was made in the Netherlands in the 18th century. It was given to the Museum in 1904 by Moses Lewin Levin, a London bead merchant who ran an import-export business between 1839 and 1913. The business specialised in European glass beads intended for use in trade in Africa but this crystal bead suggests it also kept examples of older, more valuable forms of bead.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Crystal, spherical faceted |
| Brief description | Single bead of crystal, made in the Netherlands, 18th century, probably used in European trade in Africa |
| Physical description | Single bead of crystal, spherical faceted, slightly discoloured |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | The donor of this bead was Moses Lewin Levin, a London bead merchant whose import-export business operated from 1839 to 1913. Most of the beads he dealt in appear to be Venetian although in 1898 the Levin Company was listed as an importer of Venetian, Bohemian and German beads. The British Museum has an important collection of glass trade beads (including some on sample cards) acquired in 1865 from Lewin Levin. (See – The History of Beads, from 30,000 BC to the Present, Lois Sherr Dubin, London: Thames & Hudson, 1987, p10.) |
| Historical context | The accessions register notes that this bead was 'subsequently used for the African market'. |
| Summary | Beads played an important role in early global trading networks. From the late 15th century the international trade in beads became increasingly dominated by glass beads produced by manufacturers in Venice, the Netherlands, Bohemia and Moravia. European glassmakers were even able to reproduce forms of bead made of precious and organic materials: stone, crystal, shell and bone. This spherical crystal bead was made in the Netherlands in the 18th century. It was given to the Museum in 1904 by Moses Lewin Levin, a London bead merchant who ran an import-export business between 1839 and 1913. The business specialised in European glass beads intended for use in trade in Africa but this crystal bead suggests it also kept examples of older, more valuable forms of bead. |
| Associated objects | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1044A-1904 |
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| Record created | August 10, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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