Topic: Chinese Millifiori Paperweight?

[Otis Orlando]

Can anyone help me confirm that it is chinese and give any information as to the age and maker.  Having carried out extensive research, which included looking at the chinese paperweights,  I was unable to find one with this sort of design.   

  Overall dia. 4.9cm, Height 4.8cm and Flat dull finished base 2.7cm dia. approx.

[SophieB]

Hi there,

I believe that it is modern Chinese but cannot say more than that.

SophieB

[Otis Orlando]

Cheers! SophieB, Chinese it is, unless stated otherwise. 

[tropdevin]

***

Hi Otis.   Chinese it is! Together with a fellow collector in France, I am currently working on an article on Chinese weights for the 2014 PCA Bulletin.

Alan

[Otis Orlando]

That's great news! Alan, thank you for letting us know.   I have acquired a lot of paperweights over the years and a number of them I believe and not confirmed, to be Chinese, but  I don't have any further information or leads to go on and that could be the reason for the replies being short.   I really don't think there is any real recognition.   To say Chinese and nothing else, I find somewhat distasteful, that's only  my feeling on the matter.   Similar styles are made in different countries, but not one is the same and as far as I am concerned, a lot of time effort and skill has gone into making these beautiful paperweights.   I was reluctant to post another so soon, but since your info. I think it would be a good idea to post it.  If you need to use any of my paperweights, that have been confirmed as Chinese in your article, please feel free to do so.

[KevinH]

To say Chinese and nothing else, I find somewhat distasteful, that's only  my feeling on the matter.

Distasteful to whom? The main production of Chinese weights was, and still is, a simple matter of sales by mass for the export market and no particular company, let alone a designer or maker was credited.

Similar styles are made in different countries, but not one is the same and as far as I am concerned, a lot of time effort and skill has gone into making these beautiful paperweights.

That is a fair comment, but even so, the Chinese paperweight production has not yet moved away from the mass markets. Even the latest items, with their much neater designs and finishing, and with fancy marketing descriptions, are still mass produced for the gift trade and sold very cheaply.

[flying free]

'To say Chinese and nothing else, I find somewhat distasteful, that's only  my feeling on the matter'

What do you find distasteful about it?  I don't understand.

Have you done any research on Chinese glass production?
Perhaps more recent production of Chinese glass, sold to wholesale market for pennies and sold in gargantuan quantities, doesn't hold interest currently for a major piece of research trying to identify the hidden makers, but it may do in the future?
 If  this is your area of interest, it might make a great piece of research for you.  And I'm sure many would be interested to see it on the board as it is all knowledge to add to the pot.

The best guess on identifying some/many of these pieces made in Murano, made in England, made in China, made in France, made in Bohemia, Germany etc, might be the guess of Country of production only so far.  I'd say that's one step better than nothing.
I currently have two probably antique paperweights, very beautifully made, probably not mass produced, both of which currently stand at not even having a country identified, but only that they are 'probably made in .....'.  And the possible country of origin of one of those has changed just in the last few weeks.

At least you have a country of origin

I also have a good number of vases where we can't even work out what the country of origin might be to give a headstart on working out who the maker might have been.

m

[Otis Orlando]

Distasteful to whom?

To me, as previously stated.

that's only  my feeling on the matter.   

Chinese paperweight production has not yet moved away from the mass markets. Even the latest items, with their much neater designs and finishing, and with fancy marketing descriptions, are still mass produced for the gift trade and sold very cheaply.

Yes, I fully understand what you are saying, but this surely can have diverse consequences, that could be also damaging to the collector/buyer.  If these paperweights are mass produced like you have said and with neater and better finishing, will of course make it more difficult for people like you and me to identify paperweights now and in the future.  Just like any other product, there should be some form of being able to identifying paperweights that come from China or any other country that have mass produced products with no identity?  Now I clearly understand why a maker or period is unlikely to be found.  As far as I am concerned, any product whether gifts or for export purposes, should be identified to the manufacturer.   If there was a fault, who would be liable?  If the  content during the making was illegal,  who would be liable?   Probably now thinking about it. distasteful maybe the wrong word to use.  How about disturbing?   Labels and markings are very important.  Not only to the collector, but for safety reasons too.

[flying free]

Your use of the word 'disturbing' I would agree with. 

It is not good not to be able to trace back a product to it's place of manufacture for very many reasons.  I avoid buying that type of new or recently produced product where at all possible.  But of course I do buy second hand and vintage goods - I just try and select those carefully.
m

[tropdevin]

Hi Otis

The issue of labelling the origin of goods and of safety of goods are complex, and governed by the relevant legislation in the country of sale.

In the EU (at the moment) it is not a requirement to label imported goods with the country of origin (whereas it is a requirement in China, Japan, and the US for example).  And even if one chooses to attach such a label, there is another issue of 'added value'. If you import raw materials or components, then fabricate an item, where was it made? The answer in many places is 'wherever the greatest value was added'.  So if you import a Chinese paperweight into country X, polish the base, stick on a label, and put it in a fancy box, you may well have added more value that the original cost - and can label it 'Product of X'.  I recall that there were masses of paperweights for sale in IKEA a few years ago for £1 each ( I think), which were transparent glass blobs with random bubbles inside, in various colours. They looked to me to be of Chinese origin (matt ground bases that were not quite circular), but carried no labels.

Regarding safety, for new items in the UK I think this might fall under the Sale of Goods Act, and be the responsibility of the retailer. So they would need to check that a paperweight was 'safe' before putting it on the shelves, which would mean checking and testing for any risks (not sure what if anything this might be with a glass paperweight, but for example being radioactive, or emitting poisons) and being able to prove that they had done so.

There is a significant problem with labelling paperweights, of course - the labels often fall off, or get removed because they interfere with the design.

Alan