Paperweight c. 1848 - 1855

Editor: Here we have "Paperweight," crafted around 1848 to 1855 by Baccarat Glassworks. It's this mesmerizing glass sculpture with a serpent inside, almost like it’s preserved in amber. I’m struck by the tension between the cold glass and the implied movement of the snake. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, let's consider this object in the context of 19th-century decorative arts. The paperweight itself is interesting. The rise of industrial production allowed for complex glasswork to be made more accessible. It democratized luxury in a way. How do you see the image of the snake functioning here? Editor: Snakes often represent danger or deception. Does that darker symbolism conflict with its presence in a purely decorative object? Curator: Perhaps not conflict, but rather complicate. The Victorian era was fascinated with collecting and categorizing the natural world, placing specimens under glass for observation and study. This paperweight mimics that impulse but, instead of a butterfly or flower, we have a potentially threatening creature, made safe and beautiful for domestic consumption. Who gets to look at the snake? What kind of person finds this attractive? Editor: So, its existence reflects a Victorian obsession with control and maybe a sanitized relationship with nature. This 'safe' snake speaks to the collectors of the day and their tastes and interests. Curator: Precisely. The politics of imagery always matters and this is not any different: consider the audience and the time in which this work was made. Editor: That gives me a whole new perspective on what seems, on the surface, like just a pretty object! Now I see the Victorian cultural landscape embedded within it. Curator: Indeed. Analyzing decorative arts can offer a unique lens through which to view a society's values and anxieties.