Paperweight
c. 1845/60
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
Diam.: 5.2 cm (2 1/16 in.)
Classification
paperweight
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
188046
Art Historical Context
This delightful glass paperweight from the Clichy Glasshouse, dating to around 1845–60, exemplifies the pinnacle of 19th-century French decorative arts. Produced at the renowned Clichy factory near Paris, it measures just 5.2 cm in diameter, making it a compact yet captivating object designed to hold down papers on a cluttered Victorian desk. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Applied Arts of Europe, it showcases the era's fusion of functionality and artistry. Paperweights surged in popularity after the 1840 invention of the adhesive postage stamp, which demanded practical...
About the Artist
Clichy Glasshouse · 1837–1885
The Verrerie de Clichy, also known as the Clichy Glasshouse or Cristalleries de Clichy, was established in 1837 through the merger of local glassworks at Billancourt near Paris, under the direction of Rouyer and Maes. The firm relocated to Clichy-la-Garenne in 1839, where it initially produced utilitarian items like bottles and tableware before pivoting to luxury glass objects amid France's burgeo...