L.H. Selman Ltd. is proud to announce its Summer 2016 63rd Fine Art Glass Paperweight Auction with 333 pieces, both antique and modern, including several paperweight-related objects. The auction is fully online, hosted on our website, and the catalog can be now viewed at http://www.theglassgallery.com/auction-catalog/. You can also see all auction lots in person at our gallery in Chicago, 410 S. Michigan Ave., #207, from now through Thursday July 30, 9am to 5pm. We would love to see you in person! If you prefer to place bids by phone, just give us a call at 1-800-538-0766. Initial bids will start on Tuesday, July 5, and end Midnight PST, on Monday, July 18, followed by the start of competitive bidding. If you see something to your liking, do not hesitate to place an initial bid; you never know what surprising reserves will be revealed or what exciting competitive bidding will follow that can bring home the piece of your dreams!
For your browsing pleasure, please enjoy this auction overview but remember how much more is featured. We recommend that you give the catalog careful examination. Following is a breakdown of the categories we’ll be featuring:
Coded Message
Secret orders, hidden messages and mysterious meanings are always the subject of curiosity and investigation. And the paperweight definitely claims its share of intrigue within those realms. Starting with the surviving antique paperweights of the classical era (circa 1845-1875), certain pieces were designed with a surreptitious purpose, in addition to aesthetically dazzling the viewer-collector or providing a luminous crown for a stack of valuable papers. Many legends have been told and recorded to explain the appearance of certain subjects, patterns and designs featuring covert meanings within the paperweights (i.e. pansies, salamanders, posies/nosegays, wedding bouquets (see lot 9), and revolutionary colors (see lot 5), date canes, silhouettes, etc.).