Mischief in Glass: Evil Eye Beads: September, 2015

 

Mischief in Glass: Evil Eye Beads

September, 2015

Aibhilin inghean Ui Phaidin

(mka Erica Janowitz)

 

 

For thousands of years many cultures created and used symbols and talisman for spiritual or ritualistic purposes. Glass has been used not only in art but also to create apotropaic eye beads which were used as protective devices to prevent misfortune and to ward off the “evil eye”. Extant examples have been found in the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries B.C. in Eastern Mediterranean areas including Egypt and Phoenicia as well as in Celtic settlements across Western and Eastern Europe such as areas that are present day France and Bulgaria. In fact the Celts who settled in the Balkins also settled the Celtic state of Galatia (i.e. present day Turkey). Evil eye talisman continue to be seen today in southeastern Europe and in the Mediterranean.

 

Glass evil eye beads were found in bracelets and necklaces. The glass beads were typically created with simple, geometric patterns. The use of concentric circles were most common as were the colors yellow, dark blue, turquoise blue or green and white. Stacked dots of white and dark blue in 3 or 5 layers were used to make the “eye”. Beads had different combinations of eyes such as 4 single eyes, 4 double eyes or combinations of single and double eyes. Some beads had additional small raised yellow dots around the rim of the bead and others were double beads.

 

I have recreated two Phoenician beads each one based on a string of glass eye beads from collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; a Phoenician string of opaque yellow beads with blue and white layered eyes from 330-70 B.C. and a Greek/Eastern Mediterranean string of blue beads with white and blue layered eyes from 6^th-4^th century B.C. As these were my first evil beads, I created single beads with 4 single eyes per bead. I will continue to improve the consistency of my dot size and placement as well as the symmetry of my dots. In order the improve my skills at making layered or stacked dots (or eyes), I will attempt to recreate double eyes on beads and double beads as well as adding on the small raised dots found on the composite eye bead as seen in the Corning Glass Museum collection. I imagine at that point my ability to protect against mischief and misfortune will have only continued to grow.

 

 

References:

 

Composite Eye Bead. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2015, from http://www.cmog.org/artwork/composite-eye-bead-8?image=0

 

Glass eye beads | Phoenician | Hellenistic. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2015, from http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/239901?=&imgno=0&tabname=label

 

Life on a String: 35 Centuries of the Glass Bead. (2013, January 25). Retrieved September 20, 2015, from http://www.cmog.org/article/life-string-35-centuries-glass-bead

 

Markoe, G. (2000). Phoenicians. University of California Press.

String of ninety-seven glass eye beads | Greek, Eastern Mediterranean. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2015, from http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/249931

 

The Celtic Evil Eye. (2003, February 4). Retrieved September 20, 2105.