Where a stone or an inkwell once sufficed, paperweights in the 19th century became glass works of art.

Decorative paperweights were first made of semiprecious stones, silver, bronze or ormolu. The us ‘of glass began in the 19th century and reach a high point in France, although other countries also produced some fine work, as France, Britain and the United States still do.

Antique Collection

Many of the most decorative paperweights incorporate a ‘millefiori’ design of coloured glass canes, such as ‘crown’ (With radiating twisted ribbons), ‘mushroom’ ‘,wirl’ or ’scrambled’ (a random pattern). T most sought after and expensive weights toda use animal or plant motifs. The design is covered in clear glass to enclose and magnify the pattern, and sometimes overlaid again in one or more colours. Windows might be cut in the overlay to reveal the pattern, or a star may he cut into the base.

Most paperweights measure between 21/2 and 3′A in (63 and 80 mm) across, but there are miniatures less than 2 in (51 mm) across. Chips and scratches occur very easily. Such marks can be removed by grinding and polishing, but this greatly reduces the value. The golden era of French paperweight making was from about 1845 to 1880. The very best came from the Baccarat, St Louis sal Clichy factories. Identifying the maker is not usually difficult. Some millefori weights include canes with the manufacturer’s initials, so others can be attributed by comparison. Some are signed and dated, and fetch comparatively higher prices.

Many maker’s pieces include characteristic canes — for example, the pink and green ‘Cliche rose’, and the fine arrowheads and a silhouetted human and animal figures of baccarat and St Louis. Clichy specialised in mushroom weights, overlays and swirls. Baccarat produced flower, fruit and vegetable weights, while St Louis made a cross pattern and used a salmon-pink colour. Most mid-mth-century weights from these factories sell at auction for anything from £200 to £ 1 000. Paperweights were also made in other French centres, in Bohemia (later part of Czechoslovakia) and in Venice, but none matched the standard of the ‘top three’. George Bacchus of Birmingham and White- friars of London made weights, but their canes are large and crude by comparison. Prices for these makers are usually in the low hundreds.

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Decorative Paperweights