Paperweight c. 1845 - 1860

Curator: Standing before us is the glass paperweight crafted by Compagnie de Saint Louis, sometime between 1845 and 1860, presently held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: It's a striking orb, the cobalt blue mottled with what seems like a sky full of faint stars. There's something unsettling though, in the intricate gilded structure encircling…is that a lizard? Curator: Indeed, this piece encapsulates several cultural anxieties of its time, revealing how the natural world was being both coveted and subjugated. Paperweights, popularized during this era, became fashionable status symbols for the bourgeoisie. Editor: So it's about control, domesticating wildness into an object, then trapping it within this…iridescent, speckled prison? The circular frame emphasizes this idea. It feels incredibly oppressive. Curator: Absolutely, but consider the context of rapid industrialization. The elite used objects such as these to create visual distance from the ecological implications of encroaching modernity. This exotic reptile represents a lost innocence of untouched landscapes. Editor: Lost or contained, wouldn't you say? Visually, I can't escape the texture, the way light catches within that metallic frame is quite intriguing. The scales are almost perfectly mimicked. I can understand the appeal in capturing such a thing. Curator: These kinds of commissioned items from the French glass factories reflected a wider appetite for exoticism tied directly to imperial endeavors, which carried distinct racial and social inequalities. Owning this signaled cultural prestige as much as individual refinement. Editor: It's true; the formal qualities betray darker currents. All that ornate beauty feels deeply compromised when we factor that in. Curator: Right. What this seemingly decorative artwork holds captive isn't just a lizard, but echoes of a conflicted colonial gaze. Editor: It’s uncanny how beauty can conceal the echoes of subjugation.