Paperweight c. 1845 - 1860

This 19th-century glass paperweight by the Clichy Glasshouse features a delicate, multi-colored flower with purple, pink, and green glass. The "Paperweight" was crafted in the mid-19th century during the peak of the Victorian era, a time when these small glass objects were popular for their beauty and functionality. They served both as decorative accents and to hold down important papers on desks. The Clichy Glasshouse was a prominent producer of these glass works, known for their intricate designs. The paperweight is an example of the "Millefiori" technique, which involved using a series of different colored glass rods to create complex patterns. This specific example is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.