Paperweight c. 1848

This paperweight was crafted by the Compagnie de Saint Louis. Encased in clear glass, a burst of millefiori radiates from a central motif, creating a mesmerizing visual depth. The composition employs a radial symmetry. Thin, white rods extend outwards like spokes, dividing fields of green, white and red glass fragments. Alternating between these segments are blue and neutral-toned florets, their placement emphasizing the circular structure. At the heart of the paperweight, a silhouette stands centered in a white and blue disc. The clear glass acts as a lens. This magnification alters our perception and distorts the internal details, inviting us to explore this enclosed world. The paperweight challenges fixed meanings and engages with new ways of thinking about space. It's a self-contained universe that captures and distorts reality. It turns a functional object into a site of aesthetic contemplation.