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 |  Last day to place initial bids: April 19, 2000 Antique Modern Books HOME Lot:
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1. Very rare Baccarat three-flower bouquet weight containing a purple and yellow pansy, with a stardust/bull’s-eye cane center, a blue and white primrose, with a stardust/bull’s-eye cane center, and a large white double clematis, with a six-pointed star/star cane center, growing on gathered stems with a yellow and purple bud and spring green leaves.In the parlance of Victorian flower language, the primrose symbolizes youth. The pansy speaks of friendship, while the clematis wishes for luck. Together, the flowers express the desire for a new friendship to continue. "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."Good examples of French bouquet paperweights are quite rare and command top prices."-Paperweights for Collectors.(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. Diameter 3 3/16". $16,000-20,000 2. Very rare Baccarat seven-flower bouquet weight containing a central yellow buttercup, with stardust stamens, encircled by three millefiori fantasy flowers and three blue forget-me-nots, on entwined stems with spring green leaves. The arrangement floats above a star-cut ground. "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."In 1848, the introduction of lampwork added significantly to Baccarat’s already versatile use of millefiori canes as decorative and identifying devices. Star and arrow canes center many flower types; the arrows were sometimes also used for lower pansy petals (as illustrated here) and for stylized arrangements..."-Glass Paperweights in The Art Institute of Chicago.(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 back cover. Diameter 3 1/16". $18,000-22,000 3. Very rare Baccarat triple clematis bouquet weight, a formal arrangement, containing three ruby blossoms, with green and white stardust/bull’s-eye cane centers, on a stalk with a closed red bud and two types of emerald green leaves, over a star-cut ground. This piece was formerly part of the collection of the New-York Historical Society. "More formal in appearance is the Baccarat set piece, bottom left, of three red clematis with long symmetrical lower leaves."-Glass Paperweights of The New-York Historical Society.(See Annual Bulletin of the Paperweight Collectors’ Association(1983), p. 19; Annual Bulletin of the Paperweight Collectors’ Association(1975), p. 12; Christie’s London June 3, 1986 sale, lot 359; Christie’s London April 8, 1975 sale, lot 166; Glass Paperweights of The New-York Historical Society,p. 70; Sotheby’s New York January 18, 1995 sale, lot 305; Sotheby’s Parke-Bernet May 31, 1977 sale, lot 311; Sotheby’s London April 16, 1973 sale, lot 103) Diameter 2 13/16". $13,000-15,000 4. Extremely rare Saint Louis dated paneled carpet ground weight with the central sulphide of Empress Josephine encircled by six spokes of white and ruby cog/star canes, dividing alternating panels of pink and blue cogs. The sulphide cameo of Empress Josephine is framed by a ruby tube inside a garland of pink cogs with chartreuse interiors. "In these absolutely spectacular weights the sulphide is enclosed in a thick, blood red, jelly-like tube that imparts to the head a surrealistic sensation of being both alive and dead, like a severed head. It is the surrealistic overtones coupled with the patriotic red, white and blue of the carpet panels of two of these weights that has urged upon the author the notion that the lady may not be Josephine at all but the spirit of France in the Revolution of 1848."-The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights."This is a very rare type, and very beautiful."-Antique Glass Paperweights from France."A few rare weights have a small sulphide decoration over a carpet ground."-The Jokelson Collection of Antique Cameo Incrustation.(See Antique Glass Paperweights from France,p. 4; The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights,p. 261; One Hundred of the Most Important Paperweights,p. 147; Paperweights: "Flowers which clothe the meadows",p. 35) see front cover. see detail p. 15. Diameter 2 3/4". $12,000-16,000 5. Very rare Baccarat ruby snake weight, the black-eyed reptile, with subtly shaded ruby coils, poses on a sandy ground flecked with bits of green glass and mica. Oftentimes, the appearance of these weights is spoiled by an air ring that appeared around the body of the snake during the encasement process. This example is notably pristine. "The tubular bodies of the snakes lie coiled above whatever ground is used in one and a half or two turns, the head usually resting on a coil, the tiny button eyes with an expression of benign asininity if the eye is black pupil on white, or drunken bliss if it is black pupil on red or orange."-The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights."Reptiles were relatively rare among the animal motifs of the classic period, although they were common symbols of renewal and youth."-Glass Paperweights in The Art Institute of Chicago.see front cover. Diameter 3". $8000-10,000 6. Very rare Baccarat snake on lace weight, the reptile, with black and orange eyes, and celery-colored coils decorated with emerald green glass, poses on a white lace cushion. "Baccarat artisans merged two images of elegance with this portrayal of a snake on a lace cushion. One wonders what story lies behind its construction. The lace causes one to think that the piece belonged to a woman, or that it was meant to characterize a woman. Femme fatale-the idea of the female being alluring, yet possessing a painful bite, was a popular image in art and poetry at the time. Or, perhaps this is a representation of the serpent who tempted Eve. The entire presentation is masterfully put together."-The Art of the Paperweight-Challenging Tradition.(See A Collector’s Guide to Paperweights,p. 43; Glass Paperweights of The Bergstrom-Mahler Museum,plate 59, ill. 108; The Spinning Wheel[April 1956], p. 36) Diameter 3 1/8". $8000-10,000 | | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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