1. Excellent Bacchus magnum close packed millefiori weight containing unusual feather canes amidst ruffle, cog, and six-pointed star canes, in yellow, salmon, royal purple, mint, cobalt blue, turquoise and white. The unusual feather cane, which is repeated over and over in this design, is composed of three lobed rods which always appear on a royal purple ground. It may have been included as a tribute to the Prince of Wales. "We are always delighted to come across another Bacchus weight, as it is most likely to contain something we have not seen before. Whether impressing us with the size of their canes, large or microscopic, surprising us with a unique design like the paneled carpet ground, or soothing us with an almost white concentric pattern, the large, subtle elegant weights are a joy to behold."-Annual Bulletin of the Paperweight Collectors Association, Inc. (1999). "Compared to the output of the French glass works of Clichy, Baccarat and Saint Louis, the Bacchus production was very limited, possibly four hundred or so in total."-Old English Paperweights. (See Annual Bulletin of the Paperweight Collectors Association, Inc. (1999), pp. 5-10; Old English Paperweights, pp. 14-67) see detail p. 5. Diameter 3 9/16". $8000-12,000
2. Very nice Saint Louis carpet ground weight with a rare square-shaped cane at the center of a patterned millefiori arrangement. The silhouettes of a dancing woman, camel, dog, dancing devil and a horse, each encircled by a garland of peach canes, and a garland of ruby and white canes, punctuate a sea of lime crimped canes.
"Well done carpet grounds are among the loveliest weights."-Glass Paperweights of The New-York Historical Society. "The antique spaced millefiori weights of greatest value are those set against a solid background of identical millefiori canes-the carpet."-Paperweights for Collectors. From the Winters collection. (See The Art of the Paperweight-Challenging Tradition, p. 31; The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights, p. 98; Glass Paperweights of The New-York Historical Society, p. 35; Glass Paperweights in The Art Institute of Chicago, pp. 38-39; Paperweights for Collectors, pp. 57-59) see inside front cover. Diameter 2 1/2". $8500-10,000
3. Excellent Clichy magnum spaced millefiori weight with a large central pink and green rose at the center of a design with a pink and white rose, a white and green rose, and another pink and green rose. The design includes cog canes, edelweiss canes, moss canes, six-pointed star canes, pastry mold canes and bull's-eye canes, in cadmium green, emerald, ruby, pink, cherry, watermelon, cobalt blue, Persian blue, thalo blue, lavender, amethyst, lilac, Naples yellow, pale yellow and white. An unusual pastry mold cane is formed entirely of pressed pink bull's-eye canes. This design closely resembles the famous spaced magnum millefiori weight created as a presentation piece for The Crystal Palace exhibition of 1851. "The L. J. Ma‘s factory, called Clichy because of its later location in Clichy-la-Garenne, was founded at Brillancourt in 1837, by Rouyer and Ma‘s, makers of glass novelties. About 1839, Ma‘s and a new partner moved the business to Clichy, then a Paris suburb. By 1847, the firm's innovative paperweights and accessories were in demand, causing concern to the older houses of Baccarat and Saint Louis."-Glass Paperweights in The Art Institute of Chicago. (See The Art of the Paperweight, p. 84; The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights, p. 128; Glass Paperweights in The Art Institute of Chicago, p. 21; Glass Paperweights of The Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, plate 15, ill. 149; L. H. Selman Ltd. Spring 1995 Mail Auction, lot 27; One Hundred of the Most Important Paperweights, p. 99; Paperweights: "Flowers which clothe the meadows", p. 29; Paperweights for Collectors, p. 57) see detail p. 58. Diameter 3 13/16". $3000-4000
4. Extremely rare Baccarat paneled stardust carpet ground weight with a six-looped design composed of salmon, white and emerald cog/shamrock canes, outlined in blue opal and salmon whorl/cog canes, set in a white stardust carpet. The Gridel silhouettes of a monkey, horse, rooster, dog, goat and deer decorate the center of the outer loops. The design is centered on the factory's trademark arrow/six-pointed star cane. This design was formerly part of the collection of Paul Jokelson.
"Carpet grounds, usually associated with clustered paperweight designs, are among the most appealing foils for colored and silhouette canes."-Paperweights: "Flowers which clothe the meadows".
"The remarkable six-looped garland in red, white and blue appears on a white stardust ground like a formal garden whose flowers are set in a ground of white pebbles."-The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights. Some black specks visible on the carpet on one side near the base of the piece. (See The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights, pp. 55-56, 59-61; Paperweights: "Flowers which clothe the meadows", p. 33; Sotheby's December 2, 1983 sale, lot 60) see front and back cover. Diameter 3 3/16". $19,000-25,000
5. Very good Clichy clematis bouquet weight containing three blossoms, in lavender, cobalt blue, and pink and white, on stems with three wonderfully realistic buds and emerald green leaves. Each blossom contains a delicate complex millefiori center. The stems are tied with a pink ribbon. In Victorian flower language, the clematis symbolized good luck. The central pink and white striped clematis, whose petals were created from flattened millefiori canes, is a rare and beautiful addition to this design.
"In soft pastel colors, three clematis-type flowers resemble the work of a master confectioner."-Glass Paperweights in The Art Institute of Chicago.
"Clichy was renowned for its inventive flower portrayals, no two of which are exactly alike."-The Art of the Paperweight-Challenging Tradition.
"So different from their Baccarat counterparts, these casual groups look as if the flowers had just been picked and laid down before being put in a vase."-The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights. (See The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights, pp. 139-140; Glass Paperweights in The Art Institute of Chicago, p. 61; L. H. Selman Ltd. Spring 1996 Mail Auction, lot 8; Paperweights for Collectors, p. 85, plate 189; Paperweights: "Flowers which clothe the meadows", p. 77) see front cover. Diameter 3 1/8". $15,000-18,000
6. Very rare Baccarat thousand-petaled rose bouquet weight containing a central furled pink rose, blooming on a stem with a black-spotted yellow wheatflower, a blue and white primrose and a pansy. The bouquet floats above a star-cut ground. In the parlance of Victorian flower language, the primrose symbolizes youth. The pink rose speaks of an unconsummated love, and the wheatflower wishes for good luck. Together, the flowers in this bouquet represent all the elements of first love.
"Large multifloral bouquets were a specialty of Baccarat and displayed the highest degree of skill in lampwork and millefiori techniques."-Baccarat: Paperweights and Related Glass, 1820-1860. "Nearly all examples of flat floral bouquets show paperweight making at its gayest and most exuberant, belying the Victorian reputation for the lugubrious."-The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights. (See The Art of the Paperweight-Challenging Tradition, p. 23; The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights, p. 68; Glass Paperweights of The New-York Historical Society, p. 67; Paperweights: "Flowers which clothe the meadows", p. 75) see front cover. see detail p 55. Diameter 2 13/16". $17,000-20,000
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