Paperweight c. 19th century

Curator: It's utterly charming! A sort of contained cosmos. Editor: Indeed. We are looking at a glass paperweight made by the Clichy Glasshouse sometime in the 19th century. You can find it at The Art Institute of Chicago. Curator: The symmetry is almost hypnotic. That tight spiral of miniature floral motifs...the glass captures the light, refracting it into a galaxy of color. Editor: These paperweights gained immense popularity amidst the burgeoning European middle class during the 19th century. A small luxury reflecting their growing consumer power. Curator: Notice the meticulous craftsmanship. Each tiny floret, a self-contained universe. The color palette is subdued, yet luminous. The composition creates an interplay between positive and negative space. Editor: And it’s not just aesthetic. Paperweights were incredibly popular office accessories, back when "paperwork" truly involved a lot of loose paper. Function and form, hand-in-hand. Curator: Certainly, and if you focus, the artist is playing with concentric rings of colors using white and shades of purple and green. Then there’s the solid ultramarine field from which all of the blossoms arise. It evokes the depth of space itself. Editor: It’s interesting to think about the historical context too. Advances in glassmaking made these relatively affordable to produce, and they spread like wildfire, symbolizing status but also good taste. Curator: It is almost as if gazing into this object offers us an insight to better times, even for those moments during our workday. Editor: Well, it certainly shows the power of an object that is greater than the sum of its parts! I certainly think about consumer culture and class a little bit differently.