Last day to place
intial bids:
October 13, 2000

Click on the image to enlarge Lot 9 Baccarat snake paperweight, on an upset muslin ground. The mottled salmon pink and green reptile, with raptor-like orange eyes, is lying in a relaxed coiled position. "...(The) tiny button eyes with an expression of...drunken bliss if it is black pupil on red or orange."-The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights. The body, surrounded by typical air inclusion, is in a one-and-a-half turn, with the snake's nose resting on its thick torso. To place the lampwork snake on the ground and cover it with glass must have been extremely difficult as all of the snake paperweights appear with an almost continuous air inclusion between the coils (See The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights, pp. 73-74). Exhibited British Antiques Dealers Association, Ltd. From the Homer Perkins collection. Diameter 3 1/8". Estimate: $6000 - 9000

Click on the image to enlarge Click here for another view Lot 10 Baccarat faceted waterfowl and swan paperweight. A hollow glass containing two white swans and a green and purple merganser, or green egret; cut with top and six circular side facets set on a disc foot. Enclosing the trio is a ring of mica-flecked transparent green glass near the periphery. The green ground perfectly mimics vivid algae that would, of course, be a natural companion to riparian birds. The star-cut base has been re-cut. "As commercial products, (this classic era of) paperweights represented the best that could be turned out in quantity at low cost. Considered in this light, the high quality of most French and many American paperweights are almost beyond belief. It indicates an inventive enthusiasm and a technical know-how combined in a way that would not be possible today-that, in fact, was not possible at any other time in history."-Glass Paperweights of the New-York Historical Society, Paul Hollister (1974). From the Homer Perkins collection. Diameter 3". Estimate: $9000 - 15,000

Click on the image to enlarge Lot 11 Baccarat green snake paperweight. The reptile, with red and black eyes, is coiled on a pebbly green and beige ground, flecked with mica. The naturalistic appearance of the ground allows this snake a familiar habitat, rather than a fantasy cushion of glassmaker art. "In 1880, Baccarat issued for the first time the so-called rock weights, some of them including reptiles, and a few including flowers."-Paperweights, Sibylle Jargstorf (1991). "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, Geraldine J. Casper (1991). Diameter 3 3/16". Estimate: $7500 - 10,000