Art Glass Paperweights

About Art Glass Paperweights

Some of the earliest paperweights were made in Venice in the 1840s. They were gathered together out of scraps of latticino and other types of cane, as well as chunks of aventurine quartz, which would be picked up by a ball of hot glass at the end of a pipe, covered with more clear glass, and then fashioned into a smooth cylinder. The glass was of poor quality and the collection of scrambled scraps within was a random jumble, at best.

Around the same time in Bohemia, the present-day Czech Republic, glassworkers were taking Venetian caning techniques to more inspired heights. Whereas the Venetian paperweights had used canes to create a sort of three-dimensional collage, the Bohemians used it to produce millefiori effects, in which the ends of canes were organized with their cross sections facing out so that viewers could discern patterns in the paperweight...

The Bohemians improved upon the techniques of the Venetians, and also incorporated the artistry of the French, who really brought the art of the paperweight into full flower. In fact, flowers were part of the reason why mid-19th-century French paperweights are so prized by collectors today: the flowers that seem suspended within these paperweights are like nothing else produced at the time.

Baccarat is unquestionably the most famous and renowned paperweight producer. They used two principle types of cane: millefiori, whose cross-sections revealed stars, spirals, and shamrocks, and silhouettes, which ranged from dogs to doves to devils. Baccarat codified the basic types of paperweights that glassworkers still aspire to today. The "plain" millefiori paperweights were produced in widely spaced or tight-and-close styles. Sometimes the canes were organized in concentric circles, other times their ends were interwoven like garlands.

Two other collectible Baccarat styles are mushrooms, in which a bundle of canes seem to spout like a mushroom from within the weight, and carpets, whose wall-to-wall patterns would do a Persian rug maker proud.

Three-dimensional lampworked flowers encased in glass were the chief French innovation. At Baccarat, flower choices included pansies, primroses, wheatflowers, clematis, buttercups, and, of course, roses. Fruits such as strawberries and pears were also frozen in glass, as were lizards, snakes, and other reptiles.

One of Baccarat’s toughest competitors was St. Louis, whose artisans could do pretty much everything Baccarat’s could. Plus, they had a Venetian-inspired innovation of their own: the crown. These hollow, somewhat-flat balls had sides made of alternating designs of latticino, which met at the apex of the weight at a single piece of cane. Like Baccarat’s, some of St. Louis’s paperweights were faceted to give the beholder clear windows into the show inside.

There were numerous other paperweight makers in 19th-century France, including the highly regarded Clichy, whose trademark cane rose appears in some 30 percent of all the paperweights produced by the company. The cross section of another popular Clichy cane resembles a pastry mold. Like its French counterparts, Clichy often inserted a cane into its paperweights whose cross section was the first letter of its name (for Clichy that would be "C," Baccarat used one with a "B," while St. Louis had a cane that spelled out two letters, "SL").

The French also excelled at sulphide or cameo paperweights. Baccarat produced odes to Joan of Arc and scenics such as a hunter accompanied by his trusty dog. St. Louis encased Napoleon III, while Clichy made sulphides bearing the likenesses of Benjamin Franklin and Marie Antoinette.

English glassmakers were not sitting still while all this innovation was taking place on the other side of the channel. A Birmingham company called Bacchus made paperweights using canes that resembled stars, ruffles, and cogs. Its concentric paperweights are especially well regarded, as are the pieces whose interiors appears to be blanketed with drifts of snow. The English made sulphides, too, often, not surprisingly, of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

In the United States, some of the new world’s first paperweights were made at the New England Glass Company in Cambridge, the forerunner of a company today known as Libbey. Its specialties were flower and fruit weights. Some of these fruit paperweights were blown to scale in the shape of apples or pears, then fused to a round or square clear base. Crosstown Boston rival Sandwich Glass Company differentiated its products by putting the flowers inside its paperweights in delicate, encased baskets.

Former New England Glass employee William Gillinder started his own firm in Philadelphia. His paperweights featured sulphide portraits of America’s founding fathers—one series of buildings in Philadelphia was created for the nation’s centennial in 1876. Millville, New Jersey was another center for paperweight making. The so-called "motto" weights ("Home Sweet Home," "Remember the Maine," "Hope") were popularized here, as were the flower and clipper paperweights, which featured a single blooming rose or delicate miniature ship entombed in crystal.

Other early American paperweights that are highly prized by contemporary collectors include those made at the Mt. Washington Glass Works, Pairpoint (which took over Mt. Washington in 1894), and the Union Glass Company of Somerville, Massachusetts.

In the early part of the 20th-century, Tiffany used the paperweight to anchor some of his vases, as well as to create more traditional paperweights that offered viewers glimpses of underwater scenes. Steuben relegated paperweight-making to a unpaid pursuit best left to enterprising workers during their lunch hour.

The 1920s saw a boom in paperweight technologies in the Czech Republic, where faceted, flower-filled paperweights were the rage. Baccarat revived its millefiori output shortly after World War II, and in 1953 created a sulphide paperweight to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. St. Louis also built upon its 19th-century paperweight traditions in the 1950s, particularly with its upright bouquets, which it produced throughout the 1960s.

In recent years, one of the most vibrant regions for vintage paperweights has been Scotland. According to collector Richard More, the Ysart family and the companies they spawned came to prominence shortly after World War II. Ysart’s patterned millefiori paperweights are at once traditional and fresh, with rich coloration and lush interiors. Whether it’s an Ysart Brothers piece from 1946 to 1955, a Vasart from 1956 to 1964, or a Strathearn from 1965 to 1980, these paperweights remind us why the form has captivated art-glass lovers for more than 150 years

Key terms for Antique and Vintage Art Glass Paperweights:

Cane: A glass rod made by stretching molten glass from both ends.

Lampworking: The practice of using an open flame, usually from a gas torch, to melt and form pieces of glass into a desired shape.

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Interviews & Articles

An Interview with Strathearn Art Glass Paperweight Collector Richard More

In 1998, while going through my parents' estate, my wife and I found some glassware made by Anchor Hocking between … [more]

Paperweight Making as Done at Millville

Victor Durand, owner and operator of this Vineland plant, never owned a factory in Millville. He started in Vinelan… [more]

Paperweights by Nicholas Lutz

More than one veteran collector of American glass, particularly Sandwich, will be surprised to learn that a workman… [more]

Paperweights, Rare and Not So Rare

"I have a number of books which belonged to my grandfather. They are very old, and I am quite sure they are valuabl… [more]

Pinchbeck But Precious (Paperweights)

An insurance broker picks up his telephone, and recognizes the voice of one of his clients, a woman who is a collec… [more]

An Interview With Loetz Art Glass Collector Eddy Scheepers

Loetz was a Bohemian company. It was a factory; and the region’s biggest and best glass manufacturer. There were ot… [more]

An Interview With Art Glass Collector Reyne Haines

I started becoming interested in art glass when I moved from Texas to New York, and wanted to decorate my apartment… [more]

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Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Morton D. Barker Paperweight Collection

Morton D. Barker Paperweight Collection

This Illinois State Museum microsite showcases over 200 of the finest examples of antique French paperweights of th… [read review or visit site]

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Richard Mores Paperweight Photo Albums

Richard More’s stunning gallery of glass paperweights produced by the Ysart family from 1946 to 1980 (Ysart Brot… [read review or visit site]

Loetz.com

Loetz.com

This fabulous site is a guide to Bohemian art glass makers from 1885 to 1920. Loetz was the premier Bohemian glass … [read review or visit site]

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Antiquesaltshakers.com

This website, home of the Antique and Art Glass Salt Shaker Collector's Society, offers a beautiful photo gallery s… [read review or visit site]

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Rare Islington Close-packed Millefiori Paperweight$610.00 Ends Saturday 3 bids 40 watchers
Glass Paperweight Clichy Classical Period Circa 1850$450.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 22 watchers
Glass Paperweight Steve Lundberg Rare Magnum Perfect$450.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 18 watchers
A Nice Antique Faceted Millefiori Paperweight$380.00 Ends Sunday 10 bids 42 watchers
1986 Baccarat Calla Lily Paperweight-no Reserve$375.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 12 watchers
Glass Paperweight By Charles Kaziun Spider Lilly On Red$295.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 16 watchers
Glass Paperweight Pompom On Green And White Swirl *wow*$265.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 13 watchers
Glass Paperweight By Drew Ebelhare **bacchus Inspired**$225.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 24 watchers
Stunning Paul Ysart Millefiori And Twist Paperweight$224.12 Ends in 21 hours 10 bids 45 watchers
Peter Vanderlaan "bysantine Tapestry" Large Paperweight$202.50 Ends in 3 hours 6 bids 8 watchers
Glass Paperweight Closepack Fabulous Weight$152.50 Ends Sunday 5 bids 37 watchers
1972 St Louis Flower On Latticino Art Glass Paperweight$139.50 Ends Sunday 4 bids 30 watchers
10 1/4" Tall Pw, Rick Satava, Ruby Gold Jellyfish$133.00 Ends Tuesday 2 bids 5 watchers
Glass Paperweight Closepack On Staves Amazing Weight$131.49 Ends Sunday 3 bids 25 watchers
Vintag Art Glass Paperweight Baccarat Perthshire Clichy$112.50 Ends Sunday 2 bids 15 watchers
Glass Paperweight With Many Clichy-style Roses **wow***$107.51 Ends Sunday 3 bids 27 watchers
Paperweights: Handmade Art Glass Twisted Latticino #122$107.50 Ends Sunday 13 bids 7 watchers
3 1/4" Pw, Cathy Richardson, Salamander With Trillions$100.00 Ends Tuesday 2 bids 10 watchers
Saint Louis Antique Concentric Millefiori Paperweight$99.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 17 watchers
Charles Kaziun Iii Very Rare Millefiore Paperweight$97.54 Ends Sunday 3 bids 10 watchers
Glass Paperweight By Caithness Miniature Orchid Le #14$95.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 11 watchers
Paperweights: Handmade Art Glass Twisted Latticino #126$91.00 Ends Sunday 11 bids 12 watchers
Rare Manson Master Sample Paperweight/ Signature Cane$89.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid 10 watchers
Rare Vasart 6 Spoke Paperweight In Pastel Cane Colors$85.00 Ends in 2 hours 8 bids 9 watchers
Large Paperweight Vase Tree Trunk Design Flat Pontil$79.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 1 watcher
Paperweights Art Glass Alloway Portland Psychedelic#155$76.01 Ends Sunday 7 bids 18 watchers
Vintage Paperweight Fiske 76 Heart Opalescent Art Glass$69.00 Ends in 5 hours 1 bid 4 watchers
Paperweight Made By Correia Art Giraffe W/ Acacias$68.88 Ends Wednesday 7 bids 8 watchers
Paperweights: Handmade Art Glass Dichroic Jellyfish #2$67.66 Ends Sunday 6 bids 10 watchers
Orient And Flume Blue Aurene Mystic Floral Paperweight $67.01 Ends Sunday 4 bids 15 watchers
Millville Pink Rose Antique Paperweight By Whittemore $67.00 Ends Tuesday 4 bids 19 watchers
Virginia Wilson Tocalino Trilium Crown Paperweight$67.00 Ends Sunday 12 bids 14 watchers
Pat Morita Estate Caithness Glass Paperweight Mib Coa! $65.00 Ends in 17 hours 1 bid 5 watchers
Murano Art Glass Pedestal Epergne Flower Paperweight$63.66 Ends in 3 hours 3 bids 4 watchers
Paperweights: Handmade Art Glass Alloway Quadmania #148$63.20 Ends Sunday 5 bids 13 watchers
Antique Glass Paperweight Millefiori On Latticinio$63.00 Ends Sunday 5 bids 17 watchers
Lundberg Studios Worldweight Paperweight Art Glass$61.00 Ends in 2 hours 7 bids 18 watchers
Caithness Paperweight Rattlesnake Limited Edition Rare$60.97 Ends Monday 1 bid 54 watchers
Orient And Flume Midnight Blue&gold Floral Paperweight $60.00 Ends Sunday 2 bids 15 watchers
Unique 2002 Signed Eickholt Art Glass Paperweight$59.00 Ends Sunday 4 bids 14 watchers
Glass Eye Studio Pluto Celestial Planet Paperweight$57.98 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 7 watchers
Rare Val St. Lambert Paperweight$56.00 Ends Sunday 9 bids 21 watchers
Paperweights: Handmade Art Glass Alloway Quadmania #149$55.00 Ends Sunday 4 bids 17 watchers
Lrg Antique Millefior Murano Art Glass Paperweight Nr$53.00 Ends in 9 hours 13 bids 40 watchers
Antique Glass Paperweight St Louis New England$51.84 Ends Tuesday 5 bids 29 watchers
Paperweights: Handmade Art Glass Twisted Latticino #127$51.00 Ends Sunday 3 bids 10 watchers
Signed Lotton Art Glass Paperweight...$50.01 Ends Wednesday 4 bids 12 watchers
Paperweight Baccarat Limited Edition Will Rogers Mint$50.00 Ends Tuesday 7 bids 1 watcher
Finest Quality Vintage Clichy Paperweight$49.99 Ends Monday 1 bid 25 watchers
Victorian Green Glass Flower Dump Paperweight$47.58 Ends Monday 5 bids 11 watchers
Orient & Flume Orient And Flume Iridescent Paperweight$47.00 Ends Tuesday 4 bids 28 watchers
Mma Art Glass Rose Faceted Paperweight$45.44 Ends Sunday 5 bids 8 watchers
Orient & Flume Art Glass Paperweight 1976$45.00 Ends Monday 3 bids 7 watchers
Glass Paperweight By Peter Mcdougall Of Scotland$45.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 11 watchers
Ed Kachurik "2 Veiled" Art Glass Paperweight - Mint!$43.00 Ends Sunday 7 bids 13 watchers
Deacon's 5 Spoke Cartwheel Paperweight/ Light Blue$42.50 Ends in 2 hours 2 bids 1 watcher

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