Hello AnneMarie,
This is an Islamic Period bead with millefiori decoration, from the Middle East.
The millefiori process was not routinely exploited in the Phoenician Period. In fact, most Phoenician products rely almost entirely upon direct furnace-working (winding and trailing). The exception is that some beads and pendants have a preformed bicolored spiral (twisted) cane. This was probably the practical beginning of preparing preformed parts, that eventually led to the mosaic-glass approach, that ultimately became conventional millefiori and other mosaic-glass works.
In any event, since it has never been demonstrated that Roman Period beads come out of Mali, and since the millefiori technique is basically a Roman and Post-Roman technique, it would be unreasonable to think that a millefiori bead from W. Africa might be "Phoenician." These are suggestions made by people who do not understand glass history and technology, in order to make a sale.
Your bead can be seen in Callmer's book on Viking Period beads, dating from ca. CE 1000. Much later than the Phoenician and Roman Periods.
Jamey
dear jamey
as we see on this bead a fish and sun.could it be belong to roman
period? related to the mithraism symbols.becuse after islam it was forbiden to paint any human or animal face on beads and seal rings.plz let me know your idea.
ALI
Dear Ali,
Where you see a "fish" and a "sun," I see two placement variations of the same cane--a cane that has an abstract central circle surrounded by rays/stripes. Understanding the genesis of millefiori design, I believe this pattern evolved out of one that was intended to resemble the polyp scars of fossil coral--a prized decorative stone in antiquity.
I do not believe these canes have representational figures embedded in them.
Nevertheless, I can demonstrate a number of times where people have suggested that entirely abstract random patterns were intended to be certain things. A Chinese bead comes to mind that the person was certain had "dragons" on it. We all know that a popular Venetian bead is said to have "a face," because it displays three strategic dots, that are easy to interpret as "eyes and a mouth."
People see what they want to see. But I would say this approaches being a Rohrschak test.
Jamey
