Concentric Millefiori Paperweight
Manufacturer
Gillinder & Sons
(American, 1867 - 1930)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1861-1871
MediumGlass
DimensionsOverall: 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of Paul and Irene Hollister
Object number97.41.15
On View
Not on viewLabel TextConcentric Millefiori Paperweight Gillinder & Sons Manufacturer 19th-Century Glass Paperweights No paperweights were made before the mid 19th century, when three developments converged to create an unprecedented flurry of letter writing among the middle classes and hence the need for paperweights: The new paper made from wood pulp (instead of rags) made paper plentiful and cheap; steel pens nibs replaced quills, making writing easier; and improved postal systems greatly reduced the cost of mailing letters. The first glass paperweights were made in 1845 by Pietro Bigaglia of Venice, who looked to the glass millefiori decorated spheres of Renaissance Venice. (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 great French factories - Baccarat, Clichy and Saint-Louis - began making paperweights almost immediately, and so successfully that French paperweights became the world standard. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Hollister 97.41.15ProvenanceMr. and Mrs. Paul Hollister; Gift of Paul and Irene Hollister to the Chrysler Museum of Art, 1997.
Compagnie des Cristalleries des Saint-Louis
ca. 1845-1855
mid-to-late 18th century
mid-19th century