Description:

Ancient Central Asia, Bactria, ca. 2nd to 1st millennium BCE. A strand of ancient Bactrian faience beads, strung on a modern cord, bringing together millennia-old craftsmanship in a wearable presentation. The necklace features a variety of hand-formed faience beads in hues of buff, beige, and faded turquoise, their once-vivid glaze now softly mottled by age. Many beads are incised with simple vertical lines or cross-hatching, adding texture and rhythm to the composition. Faience, a non-clay ceramic composed of crushed quartz and fired with a vitreous glaze, was valued in the ancient world for its luster and resemblance to precious stone. These beads would have once adorned a person of status, worn for both adornment and amuletic protection. Size of strand: 17" L (43.2 cm); largest bead: 0.7" Diameter x 0.5" W (1.8 cm x 1.3 cm)

Though newly strung, the beads remain untouched in their ancient form - weathered but intact, each one a tiny artifact of Bactria's far-reaching trade and artistic ingenuity. Together they form a quiet echo of a civilization that once bridged the worlds of Persia, India, and the steppe.

Provenance: ex-T.F. Holy Lands collection, formed since the 1960s; ex-London art market, 1990s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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#193068

  • Condition: Chips and nicks throughout. Most have a chalky texture with light flaking when touched, and unsuitable for wearing. Strung on a modern cord, and could easily be restrung as one desired.

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July 25, 2025 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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