Cylindrical bead
ca. 3300-2250 BCE
Classification
Jewelry and Ornament
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1916.760
Tags
About this artwork
Roughly cylindrical bead form with longitudinal perforation irregularly and conically bored from both sides leaving slight median ridge; broadly mottled brown, golden tan, and greenish gray; surface smooth except for small pits. (Old smoothed break on rim.) One of a set of nine; see F1916.384 and F1916.759 to F1916.766.
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...