Topic: Clichy I think? a bit of a strange one though - 5 rose canes inc. a purple

[flying free]

Well I'm not entirely sure what this is really.  It has 15 millefiori spaced out on a clear ground, except it looks as though some of them were put in when the ground had cooled so you can see where they were set into the glass if you know what I mean? It's undulating inside.  It looks as though it went wrong, and should have had a centre cane with two rows of canes surrounding it but they've all moved.

There are 5 rose canes which is why I bought it, one has purple on the outside white on the inside, two green outside with pink insides, one green outside with white inside, and one really lovely white rose.

There is one other cane that I thought was quite amazing.  It's burgundy with a green flower centre and then a pink stamen, but the pink stamen is absolutely minute and is a complex cane made up of 7 white flowers with pink centres and the centre being a pink flower I think ...very difficult to tell.  I've enlarged it as much as I can but to the eye the centre is less than the size of a pinhead and so just looks like a pink centre yet has that unbelievable detail in it.

One of the green canes has a star cane centre to it surrounded by pink canes.

Was it made badly?  I can't see any internal fractures or anything, it's just undulating inside.
The base is concave with a rim and has been polished but not well, it's shiny but not entirely smooth,you can see polishing marks on it.  It looks like to me, someone didn't quite know what they were doing when they made it... gosh, I hope that doesn't sound critical, but you know what I mean? as though it should have been a reject type thing.
The base finish is nothing like my blue and green scramble one with the roses which is pretty immaculate.  I'll try and get a better photo to show the polishing marks.

It's quite low profile compared to my miniature, but it's in good condition with lots of original base wear and I don't think it's been repolished. 


It measures 2 9/16" wide by 1 1/2" high
any thoughts much appreciated.
m

[tropdevin]

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Hi

An unusual paperweight - not quite what they intended, I suspect.

I think the reflecting layer is not uncommon in certain types of Clichy paperweights, and does - as you suggest - imply that the manufacturing process was a little flawed, maybe with incorrect temperatures. The reflecting layers are sometimes visible - on eg colour grounds - when you get the angle correct sideways on.  I have a rare Clichy spoke (not swirl) that has a reflecting patch like your paperweight.  Another perhaps common flaw is a fine hairline crack that runs around some or all of the weight at the height of the colour ground, or through the staves of the stave baskets. They seem to have lasted that way for 150 years, though.  If you own one, go and check carefully - and maybe keep it away from water!

Alan

[flying free]

thanks Alan
I read somewhere just now, that they were often set in lines rather than always concentric circles.  I think having looked at it and turned it round,  this was set in a 3,3,3,3,3 lines  (  but they aren't quite straight in the end  and  you need to turn my new picture below to the right a bit to see the formation)
I've found some with the green surround white roses (not the same type as my blue and white scramble weight as far as I can tell) but not with the purple rose, so I've added a pic for reference.  The centre of the purple one has a bundle of pale green stamen with a pale pink centre - not sure it will show on the picture
Hope my base pic is better. It looks shiny when you look at it but when you angle it under the light you can see the polishing marks.
Would this date to 1860 or before?  I've read that it's thought they finished making weights by 1850 ish but then somewhere else it said 1860.  Splitting hairs I guess.
m

[tropdevin]

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Hi m.

The Clichy book suggests that the majority of Clichy paperweights were made between 1845 and 1860, and that the post-1860 paperweights use a glass that fluoresces differently. I don't think the glass looks any different, but the 'later period' paperweights seem to me to be less bright colours, and not always as well made. I have seen it said that they continued to make some paperweights through to 1870.  The factory was taken over by Cristailleries de Sèvres in 1885.

As for the range of rose colours, I am sure someone will have studied them and probably published a list somewhere, but there are lots.  I think the commonest are the pink rose with green sepals and a yellow centre, followed by a white rose with pink sepals, but you will find quite a wide range.  I have one that has purple roses with green sepals.  Then there are the single colour roses - white, yellow, green, blue, pink, purple, and other colours I think....all these single colour ones being much less common.

Alan

[flying free]

Thank you Alan is the Clichy book you are referring to the La Cristallerie de Clichy please?

I've had great fun looking up the various rose canes and trying to find the colours/single coloured ones. My favourite has to be a weight with lots of single green roses in it, they look like little cabbages and are gorgeous.
 I've not found one with the white with purple rose yet though. 
My pink roses have no coloured centre.  The weight glows greeny yellow under my blacklight the same as my miniature weight.

m

[tropdevin]

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Hi m.

Yes - that is the one.  You can see some more details here, including the ISBN, but it seems to be hard to come by: La Cristallerie de Clichy

Alan