ZOOMORPHIC, HUMAN, WEAPON
& RELIGIOUS SYMBOL BEADS
Displayed in this section, you will find a variety of
beads carefully carved and polished in such a way that
the form of the stone itself becomes a significant part
of the message.
The more abstract geometrical forms of more typical
beads, as displayed in
Ancient bead production,
such as barrel,
ball or convex forms are here substituted by more advanced
figures of animals, humans, symbols or other things such
as weapons.
As Horace Beck point out in his book The beads from
Taxila, certain patterns may have had special
meanings. (p.8) The patterns,
either natural or etched, the material, the color and
the bead form itself can in this way be considered as an
almost forgotten symbolic language, a bead equivalent to
the still known
mudras
of Lord Buddha. This primarily Buddhist sign language
could be understood by all Buddhists, regardless of
culture, language and distance along the silk route from
Syria to China and from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka. My guess is that beads have been a part
of a parallel iconography, created out of the same need for a
universal lingua franca in vast geographical areas
sharing cultural identity. Mudras and beads acted here
as symbolic social binding forces, that could create a
sense of unity over vast distances. Seen in this
perspective it gives sense that both the iconography of
sign language and bead-language was created, not by the
gigantic Ashokan Empire, but as far back as in the Indus
valley culture, a culture that at its height was spread
out of an area of 1,5 million km2! Later, after the
Muslim expansion,
beads were primarily spread through the vast Islamic
world.
|
 |
An absurd example of how a lost language is
replaced with a new context of meaning can be
observed in the renaming of etched beads with
stripes. They are now on the internet often
referred to as military beads because the
stripes somehow remind some people of the stripes used on uniforms.
|
In the case of bead figures like the carnelian cross or
the crystal lion displayed below it becomes a little
more easy to assert the meaning and the historical
context in which the bead served as a magic messenger.
The following theories are still guesswork but based on
bits of evidence.
|
|
|
| |
BF 1
- 12 *
12 * 3 mm
Origin: Taxilla - Pakistan - not for sale
The workmanship
in this little bead figure is awesome!
Also note the
strong and uniform carnelian color.
|
The
beads
are for
sale
Inquire
through
bead ID
for price
|
|
The
Buddhist Cross - The cross of Taxilla
The cross was seemingly very comon as a signifying
symbol on ancient etcheds beads particuar in previous
ancient Buddhist
strongholds such as Pakistan
in the west and Burma
in the East.
Taxila, Pakistan |
Matehtilay,
Burma |
Coin from the Buddhist
capital, Taxila |
Cruciform stupa structure
of Somapura, India |
However, it is incredibly
rare to see a Buddhist bead carved as a cross. It is so
rare that it is even not mentioned in Shantaram Deo's
book Indian Beads. This book is in detail
(p.79 to 94)
describing all kinds of Indian amulet and pendant bead-shapes
but without the mentioning of a cross bead amulet.
 |
|
Christianity meets Buddhism at the Crossroad
The little awesome cross bead displayed above points, as
much other evidence at the hidden link between Bactrian Buddhism
and Christianity.
This is not the place to elaborate on this
connection apart from mentioning that I have
gathered a lot of evidence pointing at
Christianity as a social, western customized
construction of eastern Buddhist philosophy that existed in
the form of the
Jataka Tales along the trade routes all the way
to Syria and beyond.
In the Buddhist context, the cross is not signifying the sufferings of
Christ, but most probably the preaching of the Buddha's first
four noble truths going in all the four
directions of the world as we can observe in the
Ashoka Lions.
|
Ashoka's four lions - Museum in Sarnath.These Ashoka Lions were erected on 15-meter tall pillars everywhere in Ashoka's vast Empire.
|
|
|
|
|
BF 2
- 12 *
9 * 5 mm
Lion -
Crystal
Was
this lion a part of an
Ashokan Buddhist iconography?
|
|
Love for ornamentation
has been common to humankind since the
days of the Neanderthals.
This
ornamentation was made in a context of symbolic and
magic thinking. It is not far-fetched to assume that the
amuletic power of carved beads is linked to the specific
form of the bead in the sense that this delicate crystal
lion was meant to bestow its owner with the authority and
courage of a lion.
The Buddhist notion of Trinity
Long before the Birth of Christ, the Buddhist had
the concept of Trinity in the form of the symbol of
Tri-Ratna.
This trinity refers to the Buddha, his teachings and
the community of followers. Taking refuge in the
Three Jewels in the form of the Buddha, the Dharma,
and the Sangha and is central to Buddhist
ordination ceremonies:
Buddham Sharanam Gacchāmi; Dharmam Shranam Gacchāmi;
Sangham Shranam Gacchāmi.
The 'Triratna'
From Ashoka's famous
stupa in
Sanchi
|
|
|
|
BF 15 -
16 * 14 * 3,5 mm
|
|
|
|
BF 16 -
10 * 7 * 2 mm
|
Triratna Beads
BF 17 -
7 * 7 * 2 mm |
BF 18 -
10 * 7 * 4 mm
|
|
Now again let us take a look at the cross bead:
In the understanding
light of the Triratna we now can se how this cross bead
also consists of four Triratnas, pointing in all four
directions of the world like King Ashoka's famous Lions.
Hindu beads
|
|
|
|
BF 3 -
13 * 8 * 6 mm (Burma)
Bull - agate
|
|
Displayed above we have a commn
Hindu symbol: Nandi, the bull, is often depicted together with the god
Shiva. We must not forget that India was both a Hindu and a
Buddhist culture even at the height of Ashoka's reign.
|
|
|
|
BF 4 -
12 * 10 * 4 mm
Kaushambi -
Allahabad UP
|
 |
Displayed above and below: Wonderful carved
bead Tortoises in perfect condition.
The tortoise is an incarnation of the god Vishnu, the God that upholds the balance on earth and in human civilizations.
This is the divine commandment for the good king. He is as the upholder of order an embodiment of Vishnu.
|
|
|
|
BF 5 -
16 * 9 * 5 mm
|
 |
|
|
|
|
BF 6 -
9 * 6 * 2 mm
|
BF 7 -
12 * 7 mm |
|
Left: This small beautiful
Sri
Lankan tortoise bead is made out of an almost
perfect piece of sapphire. The bead is most probably a
'Hindu bead'.
Right: This wonderful amethyst bead has been carved like
a conch shell. The conch shell symbolizes war and victory. It
was used as a war trumpet in ancient times.
|
|
|
|
BF 8 -
22 * 14 * 7 mm
Wonderful Turquoise Tortoise -
This bead is antique, but not ancient.
Click on pictures for larger version
of hole
|
|
|
|
BF 9 -
10 *
9 * 4 mm
A Bird in glass
|
|
|
|
BF 10 -
61 * 8,5 * 7,5 mm - (Brm 17)
|
As one can see on the scan, this
fragile peacock bead is broken and has been repaired. It
is however still a marvelous piece of art.
|
|
|
|
BF
11 -
32 * 12 * 8 mm
(Brm 20)
|
|
|
|
BF 12 -
40 * 13 * 10 mm
(Brm 19)
|
|
|
|
BF 13 -
27 * 18 * 11 mm - (Brm 81)
Click on picture
|
|
|
|
Huge Jade tiger
BF 14 -
-
91 * 30 * 23 mm - (Brm
18)
Click on picture
SOLD
There are a lot of well crafted fake copies of these huge zoomorphic tiger or lion beads,
but all doubt disappears when you hold an original like this one in your hand.
The tiger bead seen from the front
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BF 19 -
16 * 16 * 3 mm
|
|
|
|
BF 20 -
23 * 8 * 4 mm
A rare carnelian Roman or Greek
sword pendant bead
|
|
|
|
BF 21 -
15 * 5 * 2 mm
Roman or Greek
sword pendant bead
Amadalpur - Haryana - India
|
|
|
|
Bow shaped carnelian bead
BF 22 -
17 * 9 * 3 mm
|
|
|
|
BF 23 -
14 * 9 * 4 mm
|
|
|
|
BF 24 -
12 * 7 * 2,5 mm
|
|
|
|
 
BF 25 -
18 * 15 * 6 mm
Terra cotta Lion
|
Old Bohra weapon beads from South India
These interesting weapon beads most probably origin from South India.
They are depicting swords from the south and central Indian Bohra
Muslim culture. The beads are most likely not more than a few hundred years
old.
|
|
|
|
Largest: 21 * 14 * 6 mm - click on image for larger picture
Old Bohra sword beads
BF 26 -
Average size: 19 * 10 * 5 mm - click on image for larger picture
See: Beads from Sri Lanka
|
|
|
|
|
