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Catalog Data

Maker:
Baccarat  Search this
Physical Description:
glass, transparent (overall material)
cut (joint piece production method/technique)
Measurements:
overall: 1 3/4 in x 2 3/4 in; 4.445 cm x 6.985 cm
Object Name:
paperweight
Place made:
France: Grand Est, Baccarat
Date made:
1845-1850
Description (Brief):
In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter. By the mid-1800s, decorative paperweights produced by glassmakers in Europe and the United States became highly desired collectibles.
Decorative glass paperweights reflected the 19th-century taste for intricate, over-the-top designs. Until the spread of textiles colorized with synthetic dyes, ceramics and glass were among the few objects that added brilliant color to a 19th-century Victorian interior. The popularity of these paperweights in the 1800s testifies to the sustained cultural interest in hand craftsmanship during an age of rapid industrialization.
The French firm, Baccarat, was originally founded as the Verrerie Renaut in 1764, by request of the Bishop of Metz to the King of France, Louis XV. After the French Revolution, the company was re-named Verrerie de Baccarat. Peak production of Baccarat paperweights was between 1846 and1855.
This faceted Baccarat glass paperweight features a yellow, white, and red Buttercup or Columbine and has a deep star-cut base.
Location:
Currently not on view
Credit Line:
Mrs. Florence E. Bushee
ID Number:
CE.66.12
Catalog number:
66.12
Accession number:
268356
Collector/donor number:
184
See more items in:
Home and Community Life: Ceramics and Glass
Paperweights
Art
Domestic Furnishings
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a4-3ac1-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_596686