French Paperweights by Clichy. The Clichy-la-Garenne Glassworks began to produce glass paperweights in the outskirts of Paris in the 1840s and continued until about 1870. No paperweights more beautiful than these have ever been made.
PW1542. Clichy Museum Piece 1845-1860. Elegant dark, cobalt blue color ground. Dunlop discusses Clichy color grounds: “Not only did they make the most, they made the best! The colors are well chosen. The weights are bright and cheerful.” I could not agree more. Fantastic canes arranged 3-4-5-4-3 for a total of 19. The condition is excellent. The base is original and shows appropriate mild basal rim wear. 2 15/16 of an inch diameter; 2 inches tall; one pound two ounces. $2000
PW1650. Clichy Spaced on Crystal Ground Museum Piece (circa 1850). The Clichy canes are arranged 4-5-6-7-6-5-4 for total of 37 stellar canes. The canes are unusually tightly packed, almost a closepack.
The condition is rare and remarkable because it is 100% original and has never been restored, yet it has only a few tiny nicks and light scratches. Original, unrestored paperweights that are this old – about 175 years old – are extraordinarily rare and desirable. 2 15/16 inch diameter; 2 inches tall; one pound and two ounces. $2000
PW2059. Clichy Checker Museum Piece (circa 1850). Completely original Clichy checker. Only Clichy made checker weights during the Classical Period. The canes are separated by short lengths of delicate filigree twists and are placed over a muslin ground. In addition to a central Clichy rose, this one has eighteen all different complex Clichy canes in a nice variety of color and style, all well-spaced and expertly built. The filigree double twists on the bottom are beautifully lacy, parallel, and uniform with no breaks or cuts. The condition is remarkable. Although it has numerous surface scratches and a small chip, it’s all original. It must be in the top 5% of remaining original condition Clichys. It could be restored to perfection, but in such rare condition, I wouldn’t alter it. 2 15/16 inch diameter; 2 1/4 inches tall (a nice high dome); one pound and four ounces. $2400
ABOVE: PW1197. Clichy Sodden Snow Museum Piece (circa 1850). The Clichy sodden snow paperweight is a classic beauty, a design conceived to showcase their elegant, intricate, colorful canes against a pristine white background. The name comes from the appearance that the canes were pressed into sodden snow, and on this one you can see the impressions from the bottom side. The canes are exquisite with beautiful colors as only Clichy could do. Here the canes are arranged in a three-row concentric pattern. It has forty beautiful canes. Condition is excellent with a perfect dome. The base shows slight wear on the basal ring. 3 1/8 inch diameter ; 2 1/16 inches tall; one pound and five ounces. SOLD
PW2893. Clichy Checker Museum Piece (circa 1850). Completely original Clichy checker. Only Clichy made checker weights during the Classical Period. The canes are separated by short lengths of delicate filigree twists and are placed over a muslin ground. This one has eighteen all different complex Clichy canes in a nice variety of color and style, all well-spaced and expertly built, including a hidden Clichy rose cane. The filigree double twists are beautifully lacy, parallel, and uniform with no breaks or cuts. The condition is amazing. Although it has some light surface scratches, it’s all original. It must be in the top 1% of remaining original condition Clichys. It could be restored to perfection, but in such rare condition, I wouldn’t alter it. 2 11/16 inch diameter; 1 15/16 inches tall; fourteen ounces. SOLD
ABOVE: PW2710. Clichy Spaced on Clear Museum Piece (circa 1850). A pink rose, a white rose, and two edelweiss canes are just part of the picture in this substantial piece. Beautiful canes in crystal clear glass are arranged 4-5-6-7-6-5-4 for a total of 37 crisp canes. The condition is excellent, as if you walked into a Parisian shop in 1855. 3 1/8 inch diameter; 2 5/16 inches tall; one pound and eight ounces. $1500
ABOVE: PW1429. Clichy Museum Piece 1845-1860. Elegant dark, cobalt blue, concentric Edelweiss, color ground. This one is more translucent than others I have seen in cobalt blue. It’s a real gem, like a sapphire. I could describe the canes, but it’s easier just to look at the images. Take note of the many, elegant, famous Clichy edelweiss canes that dominate the design. A significant and rare piece. 42 edelweiss canes in one weight. Dunlop discusses Clichy color grounds: “Not only did they make the most, they made the best! The colors are well chosen. The weights are bright and cheerful.” I could not agree more. The dome is beautifully polished. The base is original and shows appropriate minimal basal rim wear. Condition is excellent. 3 inch diameter; 1 15/16 inches tall; one pound two ounces. $2150
ABOVE: PW1487. Clichy Spaced on Clear (circa 1850). Canes are arranged 3-4-5-4-3 for total of 19 super nice canes. This weight has a white rose and fancy faceting. It’s the most fancy faceting used by Clichy. As described by George Kulles in his book Identifying Antique Paperweights, this type of faceting by Clichy “has a large printy on top and five small printies on its side. The side printies are interspaced with long, narrow vertical flutes that start at the top printy and descend down the side almost to the bottom of the weight. Condition appears to be original with some attempt to polish. I see no issues with my naked eye, however with magnification one can find tiny nibbles, scratches, and knocks even at the facet edges, which indicates to me that the faceting is original. It’s a beautiful paperweight. Please examine the images. 2 5/8 inch diameter; 1 3/4 inches tall; twelve ounces. SOLD