Barter Beads – 19th Century Venetian Glass

Set of eight glass barter beads from the famous Italian city of Venice, called "Tic tac toe", dating from the 19th century, named after the famous game in which an opponent must create a line or diagonal of the same symbol (X or O).
This type of glass beads, made by winding and stretching colored glass from the beginning of the 19th century. Also called "barter beads" in the colonial era, glass was seen as a prestigious material with sometimes unknown colors, which was willingly offered - with ulterior motives - to "welcoming" African peoples.
Length : approx. 15 mm each (Presented in a 4 x 7 cm cardboard lidded box, wound along a thread)
Real little objects full of history, they are the vestige of a precious Italian art that can be reassembled into jewelry, or as good objects of curiosity and travel.
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Bibliography: African trade beads (2018) - Coll. Marcia de Castro and G. Maurette, 74 p.