Iron Age Celtic Stratified Glass Eye Bead with Prunts

4th-2nd century BC

€ 550.00 VAT margin scheme

In stock: 1 available Article code: B22-020

Product Description

Celtic glass 'Eye' bead with four multi-layered eyes in white and blue and white prunts. Related to the so-called Phoenician head beads with prunts.

Dimensions

Diameter bead: ± 14 mm

Height bead: ± 10,1 mm (excluding prunts)

Condition

The bead is intact and in excellent condition. All applied prunts remain in place, which is unusual for this type.

Manufacturing Technique

The layered Eye motifs were formed from sections of pre-fused rods of differently coloured glass. These sections were pressed into the surface of the hot glass bead, after which the bead was smoothed and polished.

The exact place of manufacture remains uncertain, but it is likely they were imported from workshops in the eastern Mediterranean area.

Phoenician and Punic glassworkers played an important role in the production and distribution of glass beads. These highly valued objects were traded throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. Skilled glassworking techniques made it possible to create striking colours and intricate motifs, including eyes, faces, animals and geometric patterns.

Through trade and cultural exchange, glass beads reached Celtic communities across Europe. Beads in vivid shades of blue, green and yellow, decorated with eye motifs, spirals, faces and zigzags, may have served as ornaments, status symbols or protective amulets. Their precise place of manufacture is not always known, and some examples may have been imported from workshops in the Mediterranean region.

The 'Evil Eye' motif, believed to protect against malevolent gazes, has a history extending back more than 5.000 years. Eye beads were widespread in Mediterranean cultures and have also been found at Celtic sites across Europe. Their distribution reflects long-distance trade and the adoption of protective imagery across different cultural traditions.