In the previous post, Paul S raised a question on age ...
I know almost nothing about weights, but like most non-collectors assume that the bullet shape was a C20 invention - is there an approximate date when this shape was born?
My response is a near-hijack of the thread! ...
[I have not included possible American work in this response.]
For paperweight making in Europe there are two periods of note:
Classic period Mid to end 1800s
Post-classic period 1900 to current times
The majority of older Bullet / Egg shaped weights are those with “Trumpet Flower”, “Frit" and "Bubble” designs. And Peter Von Brackel, in his book, Paperweights, Historicism, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, 1842 to Present, commented, on Page 30, section “2.2 Post-classic paperweights” ...
“The origins of the “Folk art” paperweights from the post-classic period in all probability are located in the area of Bohemia/Silesia and or Thuringia.”
Other countries are stated in the book, but the initial influence appears to have been the main areas first mentioned. Prior to this, the Classic period paperweights were generally dome-shaped and had millefiori designs rather than the typically Post-classic “Frit and bubble”, “Trumpet Flower” etc. weights. Von Brackel offered mostly generalised dating of 1900/1910 to 1930, a period troubled much by war. It seems to me that the making of the Folk-art weights provided quite simple techniques and a “Bullet” or “Egg” shape lent itself well to the upright nature of flowers, whether in the ground or pots. And hopefully the simple, upright flowers provided some comfort amongst families.
(Post classic weights made in Czechoslovakia most often had heavy faceting which added an effective visual aspect but at the cost, in my opinion, of loss of clean lines of the uncut “Bullet” or “Egg” shape.)
But were any “Bullet” / “Egg” shaped weights made prior to 1900?Von Brackel gives a variety of dates such as 1875, 1889, 1890 for some lesser-known makers. This would make sense (to me) if, say, a focus on Folk-art weights as “friggers.” rather than standard output, was practised before 1900 but quickly took off to fill a simple need.
A friend mentioned to me that he thought the French factory of Saint Louis made (during the Classic period) some “Egg” shaped” weights but sadly he could not find an image or details. However, he did find a photo of a Clichy weight having an Egg-shape with close-packed millefiori adjacent to the outer surface and dated to something like 1850 to 1870. So we do have one example of a Classic period "Egg-shaped" weight albeit decorated with millifiori.
It is tempting to suggest the Clichy millifiori weight influenced the Bohemian / Silesian / Thuringian versions of "Egg-shaped" weights with “Flower" / "Frit” / "Bubbles" motifs! But I think that is a step too far without documented evidence.