Paperweight
c. 1845–60
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
Diam.: 7 cm (2 3/4 in.)
Classification
paperweight
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
188262
Art Historical Context
This exquisite glass paperweight from the Clichy Glasshouse, dating to around 1845–60, exemplifies the golden age of French glassmaking in the mid-19th century. Produced at the renowned Clichy factory near Paris—one of the pioneering workshops in the Baccarat-Saint-Louis-Clichy trio—this small dome (just 7 cm in diameter) was designed to hold down papers on desks, a practical invention spurred by the rise of looped postage stamps in the 1840s, which flattened correspondence and made weights essential. Clichy's paperweights are celebrated for their technical brilliance and artistic flair withi...
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...