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Paperweight

A work made of glass.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of glass.

Date:

c. 1870

Artist:

France or Czech Republic

About this artwork

Glass paperweights became popular in the mid-19th century when the establishment of a dependable mail service led to an increase in letter writing and a demand for writing products. Lily of the Valley is one of over 1,400 paperweights in the Art Institute’s famous Arthur Rubloff Collection, which documents all periods, designs, and techniques. In this delightful example, glass flowers have been centered under the magnifying dome of lead glass not only to reveal the technical skill with which they were made but also to achieve an illusion of depth.

Status

On View

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Title

Paperweight

Place

France (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1865–1875

Medium

Glass

Dimensions

Diam.: 8.6 cm (3 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Arthur Rubloff gift

Reference Number

1982.1480

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/107288/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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