Hi, all. Here is a very lovely spherical gold bead with filigree and granulation from
Caesarea Maritima that I believe can be dated to the Syrian or
Egyptian Fatimid Period, 11th Century CE.
BCC BD7
Spherical Gold Bead
11th Century CE
Fatimid Syria or
EgyptIntricately designed and crafted spherical gold bead with filigree
and granulation, crushed flat. Six teardrop-shaped petals in each
hemisphere are outlined in twisted gold wire, with a
circle of wire
inside each leaf. The leading edges of the petals are marked by
twelve granules that alternate position along the upper and lower
extent of the hemispheres along the equator of the bead.
Maximum
diameter 13.2mm. Wt: 0.775gm.
Surface find from the beach south of
Caesarea Maritima, 1976.
(click for larger pic)
I found a similar piece in the on-line
collection of the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 1980.474.4, acquired in Jerusalem along with several other beads in the late 1970's (Accession Numbers: 1980.474.1-8). The museum's description of these very
rare beads suggests that they are, "...curious exceptions to the almost universal employment of dapping for the production of 'spherical' beads", and "...are formed by appropriately cutting and bringing together the edges of pieces of sheet to approximate the spherical form". They go on to say that, "While no practical or artistic advantage can be seen to result from (this) procedure, it is difficult to imagine that workmen capable of this
quality of
work, which includes colloid hard soldering, would be unfamiliar with the dapping process" (NYMMA Text). As always, I would welcome any other information, ideas, examples, or corrections to my description. Thanks, V-drome
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/452997