Warring States Blue Glass Dragonfly Eye Bead With Multiple Eyes, Warring States Period, 5th–3rd Century BCE

拍品描述

Dimensions: 3.0 cm (1.18 inches) in diameter, 43 grams in weight. Condition and Provenance: The bead is intact and undamaged, with no obvious cracks or breaks in the center hole. The bead is naturally covered with its original burial patina and weathering layer. Ancient cracks formed by long-term underground erosion are visible on the glass bead. All raised eye decorations are well-preserved, showing clear layers of white, red, and black color rings, without modern restoration or added eye decorations. The central threaded hole shows genuine ancient wear. This artifact was unearthed from a Warring States period site in central China and entered overseas collections in the early 21st century. It is now owned by a private antique collector residing in New York, USA. Ancient glass beads and other antiques are mainly traded in the New York and Vancouver markets. Description: This Warring States period dragonfly-eye glass bead is important material evidence of cultural exchange between ancient China and West Asia before the Qin Dynasty. The bead has a deep royal blue glass base and is decorated with three-dimensional, layered concentric circle eye patterns. Each eye pattern is crafted from layers of white, red, and black glass, mimicking a human eye and symbolizing the warding off of evil and the attraction of wealth and good fortune. The beads are nearly spherical with a central thread hole for threading a cord. The surface is covered with naturally weathered tortoise-shell patterns and fine ice cracks formed from long-term burial underground, exhibiting a natural, unprocessed earthy luster. The technique of dragonfly-eye glassmaking originated in West Asia and was introduced to China during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, where it was an exclusive adornment for the nobility. Today, large dragonfly-eye beads with well-preserved, intact eye patterns are extremely rare. They possess profound archaeological, artistic, and Silk Road cultural research value, making them top-tier collectibles among ancient beadworks and ideal for museum exhibitions.

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