>Ancient Beadwork
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Since yesterday was a holiday, I went to the Museum of Fine Arts for their Open House! Most every Monday holiday means free admission at the MFA, and I try to take advantage of it when I can. I actually went to see the Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice exhibition since I'm planning a trip to Venice, but I also found myself in the 'new' Old Kingdom Egyptian rooms. There, I found the most beautiful bead-netted dress which dated from 2500 B.C.!
Believe it or not, I was actually contacted by someone from the UK about this dress several months ago. I was asked if I knew how to recreate a likeness of the dress, and if I thought I could, it would be worn in a movie production/documentary film. The person who emailed me had a deadline, knew very little about beading, and had no idea how long such a task would take. Of course, if it were bead embroidery, I could do it, but at the time, I had not even seen the dress in person- only a photo. And, now that I have seen it, I think I could possibly do it, but there would have to be no immediate deadline, because it doesn't look very simple! You can learn a little more about this dress by clicking the photo below, then click All Sizes on my Flickr page:
After reading this information, I wondered what kind of thread the Egyptians used to string beads in 2500 B.C... How many years did it take for the threads to disintegrate? Also, how many years would it take for modern Nymo (nylon) thread to disintegrate in a similar circumstance? And, how will my beadwork hold up over the next 2500 years or so - that is, if the human race still exists on this planet... if the planet exists at all... Just a few beads for thought! :o
P.S. If you would like to see more beadwork & jewelry found at the MFA, please check my Flickr! Enjoy! :)