Hello everybody,
yesterday I´ve studied some Books and found some things which will probably help to find out the origin of this weight.
I´m sure, that it is not Bohemian or Baccarat (Dupont) as no canes from this makers matches with the canes in this weight. Also I think it´s not St. Louis as I also don´t find any matching canes. At least, it´s not Venezian, English, American or Chinese. Let me know, if you think I´m wrong with this.
The remaining factorys are: early/late Clichy, St. Mande, Val. St. Lambert, Pantin.
St.Mande:
The canes in my mystery weight don´t match any of the canes shown in the book from Kulles. And also there are no similar canes in other weights I saw. Only one type of the 3 different yellow colors in my weight looks like the yellow in 2 St. Mande weights I found, but they used this color for different Canes.
Most of the St. Mande weights, which I saw in the past had a slight striation, but this weight has absolutely no suggering etc.
No one of the known St. Mande roses are similar to the rose in this weight.
St. Mande weights have a slightly concave base and normally they don´t use this kind of design for their motifs.
So, I think it´s not St. Mande.
Val St. Lambert:
Most VSL weights have a low profile and a rather low dome (Kulles). The “barber pole” canes are set in this weight, as described in Kulles book, but they are unusual for VSL in their Design, as the “barber pole” from VSL is more filigree, means the single color stripes are much thinner and also more distorted. VSL “barber pole” canes loke often as they have a white glass rod in the middle, wriggled by blue and red (sorry again, for my bad english).
The 2 known VSL roses described and shown by Kulles have both petals. They are not similar to the white rose in my weight.
The only real hint for possible VSL are the parallel filligree twists, but they are also and more often used by Clichy, too.
After studying the canes, I have to say, that the canes in my weight are to perfect for VSL, especially the canes in the two rings around the center cane.
I found one VSL weight with small red roses, but they are even bigger than the small ones in my weight (set in the yellow canes).
All in all I tend to say, my weight is not VSL.
Clichy:
Normaly most known Clichy weights have a concave base, except the newel posts, which have a flat base, when they lost their stems.
Except the rose with the cross cane in the center, and the fantastic miniature roses, I found no canes from Clichy, which are similar to my mystery weight, but I must say that all canes look a little bit like the typically Clichy canes. Also the complexity and the pastel color, which is very soft reminds me on Clichy.
Another guess was, that probably canes from two different manufactures are set in this weight?
Questionable Pantin:
The Size of the mystery weight is typically for pantin, as they only made magnum sized weights. Also the shape with the high crown speaks for Pantin. I´m unsure of the base, as most known Pantin weights always have a slightly concave base. One possibility is, that they had a problem with the pontil mark as you can see a small rest of the pontil, so that the glassworker decided to make the base flat ?
Interesting is the fact, that the yellow used in many pantin flowers is exactly the same like the yellow in the canes of my weight.
Last but not least, the PCA-Article from Paul Dunlop. If Paul is right with his thoughts, than I would say, that this weight probably also could be attributed to Pantin.
Anyway, it´s really a very rare weight, with canes never seen in any other paperweight before.
Clichy or Pantin ?[/u][/i]
To answer this question is really very difficult. But it might be very interesting regarding the history of paperweight making and, off course, also to say something about the value of the the weight.
Have all a very sunny day! :lol:
Nadine
P.S. Till today I got no answer from Paul or Larry, but I will let you know, when I receive their oppinion.