Something unusual is happening in our summer auction. Our star lot is just a baby. It is the only Clichy moss ground miniature we have caught sight of or even heard about. Typically, a Selman Lot 1 would not be a miniature, and, in fact, I doubt that there has ever been one. In this case, though, rarity is the determining attribute, not size.
Auction 60, Lot 1: Antique miniature Clichy moss ground
We will be curious to see whether or not the appearance of this little paperweight centerfold will bring another miniature moss ground out of the shadows. This, we find, is one of the wonderful things about auctions. They not only make wonderful works of art available for purchase, help to drive the market and to establish market value, but by the very nature of their pervasiveness, they provide a public forum otherwise hard to establish, most particularly in a community as far-reaching and border-snubbing as is the paperweight community. Perhaps the little Clichy is about to find some long-lost cousins. Then again, perhaps not.
Of the moderns, a particularly stunning Stankard orb will be among the mix,
Paul Stankard lilac and sunflower bouquet with bee orb paperweight. Beautiful sprays of lilac, stalks of red berries, sunflowers, diaphanous pink blooms with trailing yellow stamens, blueberries, moss and curling yellowed leaves all weave artfully into a masterful throng of color and detail that is formed into an orb and then encased within clear ground. A bee punctuates the design.
along with older pieces of his that I especially love for their simplicity of design and for their poetry.
We have a rare James Kontes
James Kontes strawberries and lace paperweight. Three freckled, ripe, red strawberries and three white strawberry blossoms, each with a bright tuft of yellow stamens at its core, share a twisting vine with four dark green leaves, over a beautifully articulated white lace atop a translucent cobalt blue ground.
strawberry masterpiece and pieces by Vandermark-Merritt and Barry Sautner.
Barry Sautner 1989 lavender carved paperweight. A beautiful clear lavender glass is frosted on the sides and covered with exquisite, delicate etchings and reliefs of winding flowery branches, the eye being drawn through the clear glass at the weight’s dome to peer down to the etching of a hummingbird on the base.
Vandermark purple flower in a frosted ground paperweight. A spiraling green latticinio cushion sits at the center of a clear ground weight, sprouting from its middle an exotic purple bloom. The flower begins with a small bubble at its nexus, from which radiate seven lavender ribbed petals each with a larger, purple petal beneath. Large top facet and frosted sides.
Apart from the Lundberg Studio assemblage, reliably full of beauties, for this auction we have created a special section for Steven Lundberg and the studio he called “Steven Lundberg Glass Art”.
Steven Lundberg Glass Art 2002 two iris compound magnum paperweight, by Justin Lundberg. Two royal blue iris blooms, accompanied by long, thick and bladed leaves as well as pale blue spiraling ribbons of flora and a large blue bud, display against dramatically swirling blues atop a cobalt ground. Edition #2 of a limited edition of 25.
Steven Lundberg Glass Art 2000 upright marine life compound magnum paperweight. Two purple betta fish, the back halves of their bodies a swirl of thin, rainbow stripes in murky hues, swim toward one another in an undersea world of spiraling sea fern, amber and white corals and purple cored anemones, against an opaque black ground.
It happens rarely that we have so many of his pieces to share, and one would be wise to make use of this opportunity.
A Randy Grubb cylindrical sculpture, an astonishing feat of encasement, should be considered very carefully, not just for its technical mastery, but for the charm of its design.
Randall Grubb “Garden Wall” large glass column sculpture. A remarkable technical achievement and a stunning design, Randall Grubb regales us with both his artistry and his skill. A beautiful tall stalk of purple delphinium, and another of white foxglove, rise high above a cluster of yellow daffodils and small blooms in blue and white, all of them hugging a speckled gray rock wall, as if a favorite slice of someone’s garden had been captured for the ages.
As always, we are flush with Perthshires, the exotic and the comfy old robe paperweights that just feel good in our hands and delight the eye. There is truly something for everyone, straight across the board.
Perthshire Paperweights 1974-1975 twists and cogs paperweight.
Perthshire Paperweights 1985 cross design millefiori and latticinio paperweight.
Perthshire Paperweights 1990 faceted millefiori paperweight.
Perthshire Paperweights 1999 three-dimensional bouquet in a basket paperweight.
Perthshire Paperweights 1994 faceted thistle paperweight.
Perthshire Paperweights 1973 clematis faceted miniature paperweight.