Concentric Millefiori `Mushroom' Paperweight
Manufacturer
Compagnie des Cristalleries des Saint-Louis
CultureFrench
Dateca. 1845-1855
MediumGlass
DimensionsOverall: 2 3/4 in. (7 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number95.7.2
On View
On viewLabel TextConcentric Millifiori Paperweight Compagnie des Cristalleries des Saint-Louis, France, ca. 1845-1855 Colorless glass encasing millefiori and twisted canes; cut bottom Museum Purchase 95.7.2 The first glass paperweights were made in 1845 by Pietro Bigaglia of Venice. Creating forms inspired by 16th-century Venetian glass vessels and decorative globes, he incorporated scrambled millefiori canes within them. Millefiori, which means "a thousand flowers" in Italian, is the technique whereby glass rods with designs running end-to-end are drawn out while hot into thin rods, then cooled and cut into small cross sections showing the design. The French began making paperweights almost immediately and soon raised the millefiori technique to near perfection. Saint-Louis is noted for its subtle, but unusual color combinations. The millefiori canes forming the elegant flowers at the center of this weight are an excellent example. When seen in profile, this paperweight gives the appearance of a basket of flowers. The filigree band surrounding the "basket" was known in France both as a cordon filigrane and cordon Venice. Paperweights like this one are among the glories of mid-19th-century French glass design. Edited By: GLYExhibition History"Treasures for the Community: The Chrysler Collects, 1989-1996," October 25, 1996 - March 2, 1997
