| Original Message: A Different Perspective |
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Hello Judy, I would not call these "Dogon" beads. The beads that are or were popular with the Dogons in Mali are 19th-20th C beads, probably from Germany, and are primarily oblate and ring shapes. They are most frequently mistaken for "Dutch" trade beads; and are often called "Dutch Dogon beads" by many collectors. This is a mistake—and one that not only is wrong as to the industry, but also inadvertently makes the beads, supposedly, much older than they actually are. The oval dark blue glass beads are different. Frankly, I'm not in any position to say with any authority who made them. It's possible they are also German (or Central European), though I could not rule-out Venice. However, Venice is not really famous for making furnace-wound beads—which is what these are. If you refer to The Bead Chart in The History of Beads, to numbers 101 and 102, you will see the beads we are discussing, and similar. Unfortunately, their placement in the Chart (at ca 1600) is incorrect—since these are later beads. The oval versions are not as rare as you might think. I would guess it has more to do with popularity or lack of that. If Africans thought we wanted lots of these beads, I expect they would find them. Jamey All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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