Paperweight c. 1848 - 1855

Curator: Editor: This is "Paperweight" made between 1848 and 1855 by the Compagnie de Saint Louis, a stunning glass sculpture held at the Art Institute of Chicago. I am particularly struck by the eerie feeling that it has. What is your view of the piece? Curator: Let's consider the context. The intense labor involved in glass production, the careful shaping, the precise encasement of that snake—it speaks to me about control. What purpose does that control serve, I wonder? It’s a memento, a captured moment in time, but for whom? And who had access to these luxuries crafted by unseen hands? Editor: That's a point, there's quite an abundance of invisible labor here! Could this object have been intended as a display of status then, or a scientific specimen, perhaps? Curator: Precisely. Reflect on how glass, as a material, moves from sand—common, mundane—to refined transparency through a volatile process. Is the snake elevated, preserved, or imprisoned? Notice how the snake form challenges the perfectly crafted geometry of the glass. It’s not just decorative; it provokes. What ideas do you believe it's trying to provoke? Editor: I now find myself pondering the ethics surrounding such crafted displays, not only from a design standpoint but from that of societal imbalances, class divides, and consumption overall! Curator: And there we arrive at the core: a pretty object obscuring complex networks of production, power, and privilege. Editor: I'll definitely view decorative art in a very different light from now on!