Descriptions

Necklace of moulded glass beads and pendant decorated in ancient Egyptian style (Egyptian revival style), the beads include three scarabs and the necklace is hand-knotted. The pendant shows the figure of a seated Pharaoh and hieroglyphics. The necklace was made by the successful Czechoslovakian company Neiger Brothers, established in 1905 in Gablonz. Max (the designer) and Norbert Neiger (the business manager) took advantage of the fashion for Egyptian Revival style, boosted by Howard Carter’s discovery of the tomb of the young Pharoah Tutankhamun in 1922. It is likely that the pendant represents Tutankhamun.

The high quality jewellery made by the Neiger brothers was in demand internationally, and exported to other parts of Europe and the USA. The company ceased trading in the 1930s as war approached. In 1939 as the Germans advanced, the brothers left their factory and escaped to Bohemia where they continued their business on a smaller scale for a while. Max and Norbert were arrested in Prague and executed at Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942.

Sometimes described as milk glass, the pale coloured beads contain uranium which produces a faint glow under UV light.

This object is not on display.