Paperweight c. 1848 - 1855

Curator: Before us is a "Paperweight," a delicate piece of decorative art crafted by Baccarat Glassworks, likely sometime between 1848 and 1855. You can find it in The Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: It’s smaller than I imagined! At first glance, it looks like a jewel or a beautifully captured, preserved bloom. Curator: Indeed. These glass paperweights became incredibly fashionable in the mid-19th century, reflecting the rise of industrial glassmaking and the Victorian era’s penchant for collecting natural specimens, even simulated ones. They really demonstrate how craft was being affected by mass production. Editor: There's such an intriguing tension there. A symbol of status made accessible through new technologies. Do you think the choice of a flower is simply aesthetic or could it be reflective of broader Victorian symbolism? Curator: Very likely. Victorians were masters of floral symbolism. Every flower carried meaning. While we cannot know with certainty what Baccarat intended with this flower, the choices were never random. Consider the camellia— it often represented longing or unattainable love. Even the specific color of the bloom would matter! Editor: And the perfection is so striking... the control, the manipulation of the molten glass. Almost a metaphor, don’t you think, for the era’s obsession with controlling and codifying the natural world? To dominate over the messy, organic processes of nature. Curator: An insightful point. The layers trapped within this sphere invite one to contemplate broader socio-cultural themes. The desire for order, containment and maybe even a sense of triumph of artifice over the genuine. It really encapsulates so much about the cultural landscape of its time. Editor: Looking at it again, the irony is still potent; even now, this lovely little object provokes such significant thoughts. Curator: Yes. It serves as a great illustration of the power of these objects to both delight the eye and open the door for broader discussion and understanding of its place and impact on society.