Paperweight c. 1845 - 1860

Curator: It's my pleasure to introduce a truly charming object from the Art Institute of Chicago's decorative arts collection: a glass paperweight created by the Clichy Glasshouse around 1845 to 1860. Editor: Wow, that thing practically radiates tranquility! It’s like a little glass meadow. It’s incredible, almost… calming? Curator: Yes, the visual effect is deliberate. Consider how the miniature millefiori flowers are meticulously arranged within the clear glass dome, and how each colour is carefully considered. Notice especially how this object contrasts containment and limitlessness simultaneously. The technique is rooted in the ancient Roman art of mosaic glassmaking. Editor: Okay, "millefiori" – I'm going to guess that means something beautiful in Italian. Curator: Precisely, it translates to "a thousand flowers". Each of those tiny floral elements was individually crafted and then fused together to create this complex design. These motifs also appear in textiles of the period. Editor: It makes me wonder, why a paperweight, of all things? Was desk clutter a big issue in the mid-19th century? Or maybe this was supposed to be more of a symbolic thing – a token of delicate beauty to protect and hold things down in its own right. Curator: A very astute observation! Paperweights became fashionable status symbols in the 19th century, prized for their intricacy and the skill required to produce them. Think of them as small monuments to artistry meant for daily life. The weight itself becomes a virtue! Editor: It’s amazing to me how such tiny, delicate things—those little flowers, the careful swirls—create this intense sense of concentrated, magnified nature. You can spend so much time with an object of containment. Curator: Yes, it becomes an invitation to contemplate detail, history, and human artistry on a very intimate scale. It offers a little refuge. Editor: Exactly! A reminder to look a little deeper at our desk, too, if we're lucky. Curator: I couldn't have said it better myself.