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Paperweight
A paperweight is a small solid object heavy enough, when placed on top of papers, to keep them from blowing away in a breeze or from moving under the strokes of a painting brush (as with Chinese calligraphy). While any object, such as a stone, can serve as a paperweight, decorative paperweights of metal, glass, jade or other material are also produced, either by individual artisans or factories.
In the West, the decorative paperweights are usually in limited editions, and are collected as works of fine glass art, some of which are also exhibited in museums. First produced in about 1845, particularly in France, such decorative paperweights declined in popularity before undergoing a revival in the mid-twentieth century.
Decorative glass paperweights have a flat or slightly concave base, usually polished but sometimes frosted, cut in one of several variations (e.g. star-cut bases have a multi-pointed star, while a diamond cut base has grooves cut in a criss-cross pattern), although a footed weight has a flange in the base. The ground on which the inner parts rest may be clear or colored, made of unfused sand, or resemble lace (latticinio). The domed top is usually faceted or cut and made of lead glass and may be coated with one or more thin layers of colored glass, and have windows cut through it to reveal the interior motif. The exact shape or profile of the dome varies from one artist or factory to another, but in fine examples will act as a lens that, as one moves the weight about, attractively varies the inner design's appearance. A magnifying glass is often used to gain appreciation of the fine detail of the work within. In a modern piece, an identifying mark and date are imperative.[citation needed]
Paperweights are made by individual artisans or in factories where many artists and technicians collaborate; both may produce inexpensive as well as "collector" weights.
Workmanship, design, rarity, and condition determine a paperweight's value: its glass should not have a yellow or greenish cast,[citation needed] and there should be no unintentional asymmetries, or unevenly spaced or broken elements. Visible flaws, such as bubbles, striations and scratches lessen the value.
Antique paperweights, of which perhaps 10,000 or so survive (mostly in museums[citation needed]), generally appreciate steadily in value;[citation needed] as of August 2018 the record price was the $258,500 paid in 1990 for an antique French weight.
In China, paperweight is as old as paper, having already existed in the Han dynasty (202-220 BC), and its predecessor used for holding down floor mats existed in the Warring States period (475-221 BC).
Western paperweights started in the "classic" years between 1845 and 1860 primarily in three French factories named Baccarat, Saint-Louis and Clichy. Together, they made between 15,000 and 25,000 weights in the classic period. Weights (mainly of lesser quality) were also made in the United States, United Kingdom, and elsewhere, though Bacchus (UK) and New England Glass Company (US) produced some that equaled the best of the French. Modern weights have been made from about 1950 to the present.
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Paperweight
A paperweight is a small solid object heavy enough, when placed on top of papers, to keep them from blowing away in a breeze or from moving under the strokes of a painting brush (as with Chinese calligraphy). While any object, such as a stone, can serve as a paperweight, decorative paperweights of metal, glass, jade or other material are also produced, either by individual artisans or factories.
In the West, the decorative paperweights are usually in limited editions, and are collected as works of fine glass art, some of which are also exhibited in museums. First produced in about 1845, particularly in France, such decorative paperweights declined in popularity before undergoing a revival in the mid-twentieth century.
Decorative glass paperweights have a flat or slightly concave base, usually polished but sometimes frosted, cut in one of several variations (e.g. star-cut bases have a multi-pointed star, while a diamond cut base has grooves cut in a criss-cross pattern), although a footed weight has a flange in the base. The ground on which the inner parts rest may be clear or colored, made of unfused sand, or resemble lace (latticinio). The domed top is usually faceted or cut and made of lead glass and may be coated with one or more thin layers of colored glass, and have windows cut through it to reveal the interior motif. The exact shape or profile of the dome varies from one artist or factory to another, but in fine examples will act as a lens that, as one moves the weight about, attractively varies the inner design's appearance. A magnifying glass is often used to gain appreciation of the fine detail of the work within. In a modern piece, an identifying mark and date are imperative.[citation needed]
Paperweights are made by individual artisans or in factories where many artists and technicians collaborate; both may produce inexpensive as well as "collector" weights.
Workmanship, design, rarity, and condition determine a paperweight's value: its glass should not have a yellow or greenish cast,[citation needed] and there should be no unintentional asymmetries, or unevenly spaced or broken elements. Visible flaws, such as bubbles, striations and scratches lessen the value.
Antique paperweights, of which perhaps 10,000 or so survive (mostly in museums[citation needed]), generally appreciate steadily in value;[citation needed] as of August 2018 the record price was the $258,500 paid in 1990 for an antique French weight.
In China, paperweight is as old as paper, having already existed in the Han dynasty (202-220 BC), and its predecessor used for holding down floor mats existed in the Warring States period (475-221 BC).
Western paperweights started in the "classic" years between 1845 and 1860 primarily in three French factories named Baccarat, Saint-Louis and Clichy. Together, they made between 15,000 and 25,000 weights in the classic period. Weights (mainly of lesser quality) were also made in the United States, United Kingdom, and elsewhere, though Bacchus (UK) and New England Glass Company (US) produced some that equaled the best of the French. Modern weights have been made from about 1950 to the present.