Discover Paperweights
Although paperweights had been produced in Venice, probably as early as the 15th century, the major period of production was between 1845 and 1860 by the great French glass making factories of Baccarat, Clichy and St Louis. During this period and later, they were made in other countries like the UK, the USA and Bohemia but these generally did not match the superb quality of the three French factories.
Contents
Millefiori Paperweights
A Modern Millefiori Paperweight
Copyright CaptPiper used under a Creative Commons License - Picture also used above.
There are several different kinds of paperweights. Perhaps the best- known is millefiori, literally a thousand flowers. This is a technique perfected by Venetians glassmakers although probably it was used first in ancient Greece and Rome.
Glassmakers take a number of relatively short, thin, coloured glass canes. These are put together, perhaps in a group of twelve, then heated till they fuse together, still retaining their individual colours. The new, thicker cane is then pulled with pontil rods attached to both ends until it is about thirty times its original length and the diameter has shrunk from perhaps six inches to quarter of an inch. Then it is cooled and cut into very small pieces.
The tiny pieces of fused glass are assembled inside a metal ring. They stand on their ends, so displaying the different colours of original the rods giving the impression of small flowers. They are arranged in a pattern and molten glass is put on top. The millefiori stick to it and more molten glass is added until it is the required size. Before the glass cools it is fashioned into shape and then allowed to cool slowly.
There are a number of traditional patterns using millefiori. For example, in a torsade, loops of coloured, ribbon-like glass encircle the centre design. Then there is carpet millefiori where the patterns are so close together they look like a carpet. In garland paperweights, millefiori are arranged in circles or hoops, giving the impression of garlands of flowers.
Did You Know?
Each glassworks used slightly different coloured rods to make millefiori so the colours in a paperweight can be a guide to attribution.
Lampwork Technique for Making Paperweights
A modern paperweight called Plums by Rick Ayotte
Copyright Rick Ayotte, used under the terms of a GNU Free Documentation License
Lampwork, a technique perfected by Venetian craftsmen in the 16th and 17th centuries, is another traditional method of making paperweights.
Small pieces of coloured glass are heated using a blowlamp until they are molten. They are shaped into flowers, animals or other design and then encased in glass to produce the finished object. The designs in a paperweight produced by lampwork can be amazingly realistic and can give the impression that a real flower or butterfly, for example, have been used instead of ones made from glass.
Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights
The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights
Amazon Price: $24.50 (as of 12/04/2009)
This classic reference book surveys the history of paperweight from the origins of millefiori techniques in Egypt to the latest developments in paperweight making 312 pages, 140 paperweights in full color, 250 paperweights shown in black and white.
Books about Paperweights
All About Paperweights
Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 12/04/2009)
World Paperweights: Millefiori and Lampwork
Amazon Price: $30.36 (as of 12/04/2009)
Collector's Guide to Paperweights 1840s to 2006: Identification & Values
Amazon Price: (as of 12/04/2009)
Scottish Paperweights (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Amazon Price: $36.68 (as of 12/04/2009)
Miller's: Paperweights of the 19th and 20th Centuries: A Collector's Guide (Miller's Collector's Guides)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/04/2009)
Encasing Sulphides in Paperweights
Michael Lee Chin Crystal Paperweight
Copyright bensonkua, used a Creative Commons License
Another technique for making paperweights involves using sulphides, sometimes called cameo encrustations.
During the 18th and 19th centuries ancient classical objects came into fashion. Of course, there weren't enough ancient Greek and Roman artifacts to satisfy demand so reproductions were made in a variety of materials. This led to cameos and other decorative porcelain plaques being made into paperweights. Encasing porcelain in glass was a revolutionary technique bringing with it a number of problems, the main one was finding a ceramic material that could withstand the heat of molten glass.
French craftsman, Pierre Honoré Boudon de Saint-Amans and British glassmaker, Apsley Pellat, separately perfected the technique in the early 19th century. In 1819 Pellat patented Crystalo Ceramie, a kind of porcelain with a higher melting point than glass.
The technique that both Apsley Pellat and Pierre Honoré Boudon de Saint-Amans used was to make a sulphide plaque, fire it and allow it to cool. It was then gradually reheated while a bubble of glass was blown. When the bubble was the right size, a slit was made in it, the plaque inserted and the hole pinched together to seal it. The glassblower then sucked the air out of the bubble so collapsing it onto the sulphide plaque.
There is another technique used for encasing sulphides; glass is placed above and below the plaque rather than the sulphide going inside a glass bubble.
Paperweights on eBay
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Making a Paperweight
Faceted Red Floral Paperweight: Limited Edition of 250
Faceted Red Floral Paperweight: Limited Edition of 250
Amazon Price: $310.00 (as of 12/04/2009)
Owning this extraordinary paperweight is like having your own, miniature glass arboretum. With its arabesque, faceted peak, flooded with light and covered with rich, flowering vines--it affords hours of spectacular, prismatic viewing pleasure. Faceted Red Floral is by the talented, American principles of Vandermark-Merritt--whose mastery of melding classic, floral themes and contemporary lines is unparalleled in the world of collectible art glass. One of an occasional, Limited Edition Series--rarely, if ever reissued--this delightful piece will most certainly appreciate in value. Floral is additionally available in blue--and each is signed by the artist.
Sand & Shell Sandglobe Paperweight
Sand & Shell Sandglobe Paperweight 4-inch White Sand
Amazon Price: (as of 12/04/2009)
Beautiful 4" dia, Hand blown glass Sand & Shell Globe. Hollow on the inside and half filled with exotic sand and colorful seashells that are free to move when you shake the sphere. Bury the shells, then shake the sphere. Watch the shells float back to the top, creating a new unique beach scene every time. Our hand blown glass is crystal clear, thick and very durable. Made in USA.
Amazon Spotlight
Waterford Crystal Limited-Edition Red Rose Paperweight
Amazon Price: $100.00 (as of 12/04/2009)
Waterford introduced this limited edition crystal rose paperweight in the spring of 2005. Signed by the glass artist/designer, Tom Brennen, the rose is hand-crafted of full-lead crystal which gives the piece not only the renowned Waterford clarity and brilliance, but a substantial sense of weight for its three-by-three-inch size. The petals unfurl with a graceful fluidity, and a special red base bonded to the rose creates a vibrant ruby glow at different angles. This highly collectible piece comes handsomely packaged in a Waterford gift box.
Top Tip
Beware of paperweights with poorly modelled flowers or other designs. They are a sign of inferior workmanship.
Modern Paperweights
There are also talented individuals producing paperweights. The best known is probably American Paul Stankard, who describes himself as an artist in glass. No less an authority than Dwight P. Lanmon, director of the Winterthur Museum Garden and the former director of the Corning Museum of Glass says Paul Stankard has established the standard by which to judge modern paperweight art.
As well as the traditional shape, he makes them as cubes, orbs and oblongs and they contain the most delicately beautiful and realistic flowers. His work is displayed in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris and the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art in Japan.
Paul Stankard on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byCollecting Paperweights
Paperweight, Pantin Workshop, circa 1850 Giclee Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
In 2001 another sold on eBay for $20,229 Australian, the equivalent of about £7300. The most surprising part of this story is that it was put up for auction without a reserve because the seller didn't realise it was a rare Baccarat picture paperweight. Although the seller received numerous emails during the 10 day auction, up until minutes before bidding ended, the top bid was only a few hundred Australian dollars. With seven minutes to go, bids poured in from all over the world and went from A$800 to A$20,229. By coincidence, the winning bidder lived close to the seller in Australia.
Collectors can buy paperweights from just a few pounds but, like most collectables, unless you are very lucky, the more you can afford to pay, the more likely new and antique examples are to hold or increase their value. With antique paperweights, it's unlikely you will find a bargain made by any of the three great French factories. It's a case of buying the best examples you can, whether they are new or old. Regardless of the cost or the date of the paperweight, buy ones that you love to hold and to look at. These will give you pleasure far outweighing their value at auction or in an antique shop.
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Do you collect paperweights?
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Reply
- jmsp206 jmsp206 Aug 15, 2009 @ 4:31 am
- I love these paper weights! Great lens!
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Reply
- manujarch manujarch Apr 9, 2009 @ 1:06 pm
- Very interesting. Wanna buy some!
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Reply
- seegreen seegreen Feb 22, 2009 @ 5:19 am
- Beautiful. Thanks for visiting my Murano Glass page. I love the Millefiori paperweight, I think this has to be one of my favourite types of glasswork. I have also lensrolled : )
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Reply
- BikoBill BikoBill Dec 18, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
- Is there anything you don't know about paperweights? I see what you mean about using the Amazon spotlights, it makes it much more attractive. Great info and worth 5*'s!
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Reply
- Stazjia Stazjia Dec 4, 2008 @ 4:19 am | in reply to Jo
- You don't say which picture is your copyright and I show the copyright and licence for each photograph I use, except the small one in the Introduction. As I don't remember where I got that one from, I've changed it. I hope that resolves any breach of copyright and I apologise.
- Load More
About Me
Lensmaster Stazjia has been a member since September 26 2006, has rated 1,363 lenses, favorited 809, and has created 130 lenses from scratch. Carol Fisher donates their royalties to Dolphin Communication Project. This member's top-ranked page is "Traditional Christmas Pudding". See all my lenses
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