Posted by: beadstore.com  Post Reply
10/20/2017, 07:41:03
So I don't usually stumble across an online bead auction that leaves me stumped -- but these are so totally cool that I thought I'd see if others had any reaction! Just curious! Abe https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/56999663_rare-african-sao-terracotta-bead-necklace-w-tl They are described as: Central Africa, Chad, Sao culture, ca. 14th to 15th century CE. A collection of seventeen mold-made terracotta beads of varying size, with distinctive spiky, textured surfaces. The Sao people lived around rivers, especially the Chari and Logone and their tributaries, that are in modern Chad, Central African Republic, and Cameroon. What little we know of them comes from archaeology and the written 16th century CE account of Ahmad ibn Furtu, an Islamic explorer and imam who came into contact with them. The Sao lived in moat-protected city states and produced amazing ceramic artwork like these beads. Size of largest bead: 2.9" W (7.4 cm); length of strand: 15" (38.1 cm)
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Posted by: beadstore.com Post Reply
10/20/2017, 07:43:45
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Posted by: bsteinberg Post Reply
10/21/2017, 21:56:48
Very interesting, indeed! I've never seen these before.
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Posted by: kika Post Reply
10/22/2017, 05:57:56
Hi Abe,
Very interesting indeed!
There is a book, written by two french archeologist researchers, which is very interesting: Jean-Paul et Annie Lebeuf: Les arts des SAO, Cameroun, Tchad, Nigeria, édition Chêne.
I did take some pictures to show to you such beads.
But on the other hand, they make amulets which you can see on my site KIKASBEAD. The amulets show a very strong presence and have various form, human and animals. I have some beads but they are less impressive than these of the auction. But I show to you nevertheless because there were many various artefacts and some beads present an impressive size.
They made too bronze amulets and beads.
kika
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Posted by: kika Post Reply
10/22/2017, 06:16:08
kika
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Posted by: kika Post Reply
10/22/2017, 07:58:53
If you come in France, the museum of La Rochelle presents a showroom dedicated to art SAO. The second picture of my collection
kika
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Posted by: kika Post Reply
10/22/2017, 13:44:52
kika
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Posted by: kika Post Reply
10/22/2017, 13:50:45
kika
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Posted by: Luann Udell Post Reply
10/23/2017, 22:38:19
I bought a strand of beads like the elongated football shape in this strand, about 2 or 3 years ago. Quite heavy, too. I was told they were weights for fishing nets. When I saw the auction strand pic, I immediately thought of these, for some reason.
Luann Udell
artist & writer
Ancient stories retold in modern artifacts
LuannUdell.com
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Posted by: kika Post Reply
10/27/2017, 07:40:53
HI Luann
Yes, of course, several pieces of them are weights. But the Sao people has developed a culture of terra cotta. All the people made terra cotta, children with toys, fishermen with weights, women, medicine men, sorcerers...
These terra cotta is different from a site to an other, from a period to an other while they show a cultural cohesiveness. Sometimes, it's impossible to know exactly if it was beads or weights, or toys....
I have some bronze statues which are very strange. I show you some of them.
kika
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Posted by: kika Post Reply
10/27/2017, 07:47:24
the second picture shows the bottom of a tortoise whosethe presentation is very frequent at the people Sao's. Bead or what????
kika
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Posted by: Stefany Post Reply
10/27/2017, 08:08:42
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Posted by: kika Post Reply
10/27/2017, 13:45:38
kika
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Posted by: kika Post Reply
10/27/2017, 14:07:16
some more pictures: the first is a picture of the book and the other are from my collection. Some beads present holes, but are they beads??
You can see that the arms, on all the statues, are always very short.
I will make other pictures of little brass "beads": bird, turtle.,....
kika
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Posted by: kika Post Reply
10/31/2017, 06:24:30
I found a necklace in my collection and a page of the book which can answer to your question: "ce sont des perles ornées faites d'une très fine argile dont le diamètre maximal n'atteint pas un centimètre..."
"There are ornate beads made of a very fine clay whose diameter does not exceed one centimeter.
On my necklace, you see too brass beads". page 47
I think the beads of the necklace of the auction can be weights, not sure beads. But the work is quite different in the fineness of the work from one site to another as I say below.
My necklace proves they were very fine clay beads and I have many small thin bronzes as amulets.
kika
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