This is a dialogue from 2009, in which I show the Islamic Period millefiori beads, recovered in Mali, that I think inspired Venetian cylindrical millefiori beads, that likewise went to West Africa from the mid-to-late 1800s, and since then.

The photograph I show was taken in the mid-90s from a private collection. In 2005, while I was in Holland visiting the Allard Pierson Museum, I was taken to their holdings room to see beads that were not on-display—and I was shown a group of murrine (millefiori pieces) that they had acquired with very little information, apart from that they were said to be Egyptian. I told Dr. Jurriens-Helle that I recognized these components as Islamic Period millefiori, and that I was familiar with the beads made from them, and recovered in West Africa. Subsequently I sent her my photo. In reply, she said she could see that the patterns were cogent.

I posted both the elements and beads here, at some point. But I have not found that dialogue yet. But I have the photos in my Archive.

Looking through Panini (2007), I see he shows only three of these beads on PP. 58-59, Numbers 84, 85 and 88. It is surprising that there were not more.

JDA.