The small glass
paperweight holding down your papers could be worth a large sum of money.
Complex designs produced in France during the mid-19th century are
generally worth the most, but more recent designs by british – and particularly
Scottish – makers can sell for hundreds of pounds.
The first
paperweight were made in 1843 on the Venetian island of Murano. Many featured
patterns made of tiny sections of glass canes known as millefiori (Italian for ‘thousand
flowers’), a decorative technique that epitomises paperweight design. Italian
paperweight can be worth great sums. One of the most notable makers, Pietro
Bigaglia, signed many of his weights with a ‘signature cane’ containing a ‘PB’
monogram, making them easier to identify. Large and complex examples of his
work can be worth over £5,000.
The ‘golden
age’ of the paperweight, from late 1845 until the mid-1850s, was inspired by
French designers.They created elaborate millefiori designs and introdced
weights containing lampworked flowers or fruit. Paperweights from this period
are often the most valuable, especially those by one of the three major French
factories: Baccarat (est.1764), Clichy (1837-1885) and St Louis (est. 1767).
Some weights include ‘signature cane’ – Baccarat used the letter ‘B’ and Clichy
used a ‘C’ or a trademark cane called the ‘Clichy rose’. if a weight is not
marked, and many are not, the maker can still be identified from the shape,
colours or patterns used.
