L.H. Selman Ltd.

6. Very rare camellia weight, possibly Clichy, the flower, with five tiers of layered upright petals around a pink and green center. Variegated green leaves peek from beneath the flower. The arrangement floats in a high crystal dome with a flat base marked by a rough pontil scar. The unusual upright placement of the petals imbues this design with an intriguing sculptural realism. Victorian artisans rarely created yellow flowers because of difficulties they encountered working with the color. The flower center closely resembles those found in certain Clichy plaques. Two very similar pieces were documented in The Corning Museum of Glass exhibit, Paperweights: "Flowers which clothe the meadows". They were both identified as "possibly Clichy." "Although camellias have been tentatively ascribed to Clichy, their place of origin is still questionable. Regardless of their origin, these rare flowers are remarkable examples of the glassmaker’s art."—Identifying Antique Paperweights—Lampwork. (See Paperweights: "Flowers which clothe the meadows", pp. 58, 68) See detail on p. 71. Diameter 3 1/8". $7000–8000

7. Very rare New England Glass Company magnum floral sheaf upright bouquet weight, a dimensional portrayal, containing a red double clematis, with a pink and white hollow cog center, a white double clematis, with a pink and white hollow cog center, two yellow clematis blossoms, two ruby cherries and two golden apples with tiny green stems. A large, closed, ruby bud with green sepals peeks from beneath green leaves on one side of the arrangement. The bouquet is set on a white double-swirl latticinio ground. The flowers and fruits are nestled in two different shades of green leaves. "These superb three-dimensional magnum beauties rank among the best of all paperweights produced by the New England Glass Company, and, in fact, the best produced by any glassworks. They made very few of these, and again, no duplicates exist. Their quality is such that they probably served as presentation pieces given to important personages."—The Art of the Paperweight—The Boston & Sandwich and New England Glass Companies. See detail on p. 4. Diameter 3 1/2". $8500–10,000

8. Rare Baccarat bicolored clematis garland weight, the flower, with pointed ruby petals cupped inside a layer of ridged white petals, around a stardust/bull’s-eye cane center, on a stalk with a closed red bud, inside a tiara of emerald green leaves. The flower floats on a star-cut ground inside a garland of alternating stardust/bull’s-eye canes and arrow/six-pointed star canes. (See Paperweights [Reilly], p. 7) Diameter 2 11/16". $5000–6000

9. Rare Baccarat dated blue and white cog carpet ground weight with complex canes in coral, ruby, salmon, yellow, cadmium green and cobalt blue, including the Gridel silhouette canes of a swan, a dog, a butterfly (moth), a rooster and a pheasant, set in a sea of cobalt blue and white cog canes with tiny lime spots in their centers. Other complex canes include, arrow canes, six-pointed star canes, cog canes, trefoil canes, fortress canes and shamrock canes, in salmon, ruby, cadmium green, cobalt blue, cream and white. B1848 signature/date cane. Diameter 2 3/4". $9000–15,000

10. Rare Baccarat dated green star carpet ground weight including the Gridel silhouette canes of a deer, a goat, a dog, a rooster, a horse, a moth, a pigeon with two shamrocks, and a pelican, about a central six-pointed star/arrow cane, with complex canes, in coral, yellow, plum, cadmium green, cobalt blue and turquoise, in a sea of green, white and red six-pointed star canes. B1848 signature/date cane. "Carpet grounds, usually associated with clustered paperweight designs, are among the most appealing foils for colored and silhouette canes."—Paperweights: "Flowers which clothe the meadows". The term carpet was applied to these weights in the Catalogue des Collections des Arts et Métiers (Paris, 1855). Diameter 2 11/16". $9000–12,000

11. Excellent Clichy faceted close concentric millefiori mushroom weight, the tuft, with a central pink and green rose surrounded by complex pastry mold and cog canes in cherry, cobalt blue, pink and white. One of the rows contains seven green and white roses. An outer row of turquoise and white staves has been pulled down to a fancy star-cut ground to create the stem of the mushroom. Six and one faceting. "Mushroom bouquets are among the most beautiful and technically challenging weights produced during the classic period."—The Art of the Paperweight—Challenging Tradition. See side view on p. 5. Diameter 2 7/8". $8500–10,000