Photo Montage by David B. Moore Clockwise from top left: Millefiori garland design by New England Glass Co., circa 1860 • Sulphide of Comte de Chambord, circa 1850, by Clichy • Concentric millefiori mushroom-style paperweight by Clichy, circa 1845-1855 • Rare crown design featuring aventurine ribbons by Saint Louis, circa 1850 • Lampwork flower surrounded by a garland of millefiori canes by Baccarat, circa 1850 • Baccarat paperweight with date cane

HISTORY, HIGHLIGHTS AND HELPFUL HINTS

In the mid-1800s, the impact of the Industrial Revolution was evident in the design of functional items, as economic growth and technological advances allowed for more decorative elements. Many experts and collectors, including Edward Sheldon, a member of the Paperweight Collectors Association Inc. (PCA), point to paperweights as an example of this transition. “The paperweight as a decorative art form originated in France in the mid-19th century, inspired, it is believed, from observation of art glass in Italy,” he says.

Jan Smith of the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum in Wisconsin, which has one of the largest glass paperweight collections in the world, explains that the inspiration came from an Italian glassmaker named Pietro Bigalia. According to lore, in 1845 Bigalia exhibited wares at the Austrian Industrial Fair that showcased a technique utilizing thin rods of glass known as canes.

Smith, the museum’s executive director and curator of collections and exhibitions, notes that in the same year the Saint Louis glass factory in France refined the cane-making technique into a
designeferred to as millefiori. The process fuses together bundles of glass canes, which are then cut to produce various patterns. The company soon began creating paperweights to showcase the colorful and optically intriguing appeal of glass. French glass manufacturers Baccarat and Clichy quickly followed suit, and in the 1870s Pantin started making paperweights. The production also spread to companies in England, Bohemia and the U.S.

These two antique paperweights depict historical figures. A concentric millefiori design manufactured by Bacchus in 1849 (above left) has six silhouettes of Queen Victoria, while a millefiori panel design by Saint Louis, circa 1845-1855 (above right), features a sulphide cane of Empress Josephine.

Paperweights manufactured between 1845 and 1860 are considered to be from the Classic period. During this time, three decorative styles prevailed: millefiori; lampwork, a glassmaking technique that often resulted in floral and fruit designs; and sulphides, which featured porcelain portraits of historical or religious figures encased in glass.

Smith says the number of paperweights manufactured has fluctuated over the years, with other notable periods being Folk Art or Advertising, circa early 20th century, in which more rustic designs and techniques were prevalent; and a Modern period during the mid-20th century, which was spurred by a revived interest in the refined artistry of the Classic period.