Name/Title
Glass Playing Marbles (group of 3)Entry/Object ID
2025.1.408Description
Three transparent glass marbles of the “cat’s-eye” type, each with coloured vanes suspended in clear glass. Two are smaller (roughly equal size) and one is notably larger (a “shooter”). Colours: one small marble with a single yellow vane; the larger marble with a broad yellow vane; and a third marble with a multicolour twist of yellow, red/orange, and blue. All show internal seed bubbles and surface wear.Context
Common children’s playing marbles (bolas / canicas / chinatas). Marbles were a ubiquitous children’s game in Cuba as elsewhere; the cat’s-eye style was mass-produced worldwide from roughly the 1950s onward and widely imported.Collection
The Cabrera Arús family collectionMade/Created
Notes
Cat’s-eye marbles span the 1950s onward, so potentially within 1959–c.1990, but this cannot be confirmed from the objects and must come from provenance. Flagged pending documentation.
Playing marbles are essentially never marked; there is no brand, mark, or country of origin on any of the three. Cat’s-eye marbles were produced by many manufacturers internationally (Japanese, then widely elsewhere).Parts
3 marbles (2 smaller, 1 larger/shooter)Materials
Material
GlassMaterial Notes
Glass (clear, with coloured glass vanes and internal seed bubbles).Relationships
Related Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
UseCreated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
July 23, 2026Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
July 24, 2026
