Topic: St. Mandé, Bontemps or what?

[tropdevin]

Hi All

Some thoughts on this fascinating thread (having just returned from cross-country skiing in Austria).

I don't know much about sulphide paperweights and related items such as beakers, plaques and so on containing sulphides (though there are some specialists out there who do know a lot), but I have seen quite a few antique French paperweights, including some from 'unknown' factories, and the canes in this paperweight do not strike me as French, at first sight. That is not to rule out France as the origin, but I think it is worth considering Belgium too if one is looking for contemporary manufacture. (I won't bore you all with the Saint Louis / Vonêche / Baccarat / Val St Lambert entwined history - and d'Artigues, Kemlin and Lelièvre - and unless someone demands it.)

Another possibility to bear in mind is that the sulphide medallion and the paperweight could have been made many years apart.  I recall that the sulphide medallions were often made elsewhere than the glassworks, and so could have been available and used perhaps as a trial piece prior to a more up-to-date design of paperweight being made.

Also, given the rarity of items like this, I wonder whether it was a one-off, made to order item, rather than a production piece?

Alan

[ANDONY]

HELLO
I AM COLLECTOR NEWEL POST FINIAL IN BELGIUM "BRUSSELS" I AM INTEREST FOR BUY ANTIQUE ITEMS.
I OPEN FIRST MUSEUM IN SIX MONTHS ONLY FOR ANTIQUE NEWEL POST FINIAL
SEE MY COLLECTION WWW.NEWELPOSTFINIAL.COM

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP
MERCI

Mod: Email address removed to avoid spammers using it - and Andony has an email icon on the left which can be used.

[Nicholas.]

Hi Andony.

Thank you for your reply. I have visited your site and seen part of your collection which I think is most impressive.

If you have any idea who made my newel post finial, I would be most grateful for your comments. I have never seen another finial with a sulphide, perhaps as a newel post expert you could may know if others exist. Do please let us know if you have seen any.

Nicholas

[ANDONY]

Hello Dear Nicholas
Thank you for your answer, please send me different pictures for analyses,
I have many old book and I have one newel post finial half millefiori Clichy and half St Mande buttons, half en half it s very rare, how much you pay your newel post in witch country???
Sorry for my English no good
Best regards
Andony

WWW.NEWELPOSTFINIAL.COM

Mod: Email address removed to avoid spammers using it - and Andony has an email icon on the left which can be used.

[Nicholas.]

Hi Ardony,

I will certainly let you have better photographs of the newel post finial in the future.

You ask how much I paid for the finial and in which country I bought it and I am happy to tell you. I bought it in the UK and paid just under three thousand pounds for it.

Best wishes, Nicholas