Paperweight 1870

This paperweight was made by the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company sometime in the 19th century. It’s a lovely little thing, primarily glass, with a poinsettia suspended inside a dome. What's remarkable is how this object balances utility and artistry. On the one hand, it’s just a paperweight, something functional and practical. But the execution elevates it. It's clear the glassblowers knew their material intimately, understanding how to layer colors, control the molten state, and trap the flower within. The Boston and Sandwich Glass Company was known for its mass production, but objects like this paperweight required a high degree of individual skill, representing a convergence of industrial production and skilled craftsmanship. It's an object that invites us to consider the value we place on artistry in everyday life, and how that value is inextricably tied to the labor involved in production.