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Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass Paperweights => Topic started by: RAY on October 24, 2005, 07:03:04 PM

Title: very unusual paperweight
Post by: RAY on October 24, 2005, 07:03:04 PM
well I've never seen a weight like it, it measures 2.75" high and 2.5" at the widest point, the weirdest thing about the weight is one huge bit of silver mica with glass chips placed around it not thrown on or rolled on a marver if that's how you spell it, all cased is clear glass, the base looks like a clichy just slightly concaved and polished, this would of been an expensive weight to make, anyone have any idea who made it or where it originated from, i have two these and they came from France today

click image for larger photo

(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/yorkshirebob/th_68f96c53.jpg) (http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/yorkshirebob/68f96c53.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/yorkshirebob/th_3b567cb8.jpg) (http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/yorkshirebob/3b567cb8.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/yorkshirebob/th_02c9b6d5.jpg) (http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/yorkshirebob/02c9b6d5.jpg)
Title: very unusual paperweight
Post by: Frank on October 25, 2005, 09:52:28 PM
Has to be called "Splash"  :roll:
Title: very unusual paperweight
Post by: KevinH on October 25, 2005, 11:38:29 PM
Ray, the general working of the canes, with "pull ups" is called "Devil's Fire" in the USA. I am not sure of what the Brits or the Europeans call it, other than "pull ups".

This type of work is known in old American and European (Bohemian & French) and also has its modern versions such as in some of Peter Holmes' work.

What is unusual is, as you point out, the inclusion of what look to be a large piece of mica. Or ... is that just a thick white core showing through at the top with pieces of mica (and some air bubbles) scattered on it?

The shape of the weight is also unusual. A bit of a dumpy "dump", perhaps?

If I can find anything in the books remotely like this one, I will let you know.
Title: very unusual paperweight
Post by: RAY on October 25, 2005, 11:55:29 PM
hi Kev

well the cane chip's are the same colour as the PY weight you just identifed, all the 4 weights i got from the same person they all fluoresce the same light dusty green, the core's not white glass i dont know what it is , if you like Kev i can send them to you to look at and study, the base's have been ground and polished and are 100% the same as my PY button weights,
Title: very unusual paperweight
Post by: Ivo on October 26, 2005, 01:59:32 PM
Quote from: "Frank"
Has to be called "Splash"  :roll:


Mururoa
Title: very unusual paperweight
Post by: KevinH on November 16, 2005, 02:26:20 PM
Along witth others, I have now had the two strange weights in my hands.

What was equally odd, when I first noticed it, was that under Shortwave UV they fluoresced differently. One was "Silver Grey" and the other "Muddy Grey". This suggests to me that maybe they were made out of different pots or at different times. That would be consistent with a regular run of such items, with the eventual pairing up for sales purposes being done later.

But if these were a regular production run, how come the books etc. don't show examples? Perhaps only the more usual versions of "pull up" (or Devil's Fire) designs have been regarded as interesting enough for publication?

What I do find very interesting is that the shiny pieces of mica (?) embedded in the white ceramic mix, as seen quite clearly in Ray's photos, appears to be a smooth gold colour with very little bubbling over the surface. This is a feature that ought to be traceable to a place or time of making, but as yet, I have not seen the same anywhere else.

For now, I think that it is quite likely that this pair was made in France, as mantel ornaments, but Belgium could be a possibility.