current exhibitions

Clichy
French
Cinquefoil garland on turquoise ground
glass, ca. 1850
1.75 x 3.125 diameter inches
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. William L. Richards, 1969.75.152
10.9.11 – 6.10.12
Captured in Glass:
Historic and Contemporary Paperweights
Decorative Arts Gallery
This exhibition presents a survey of glass paperweights from the 19th century to present day. Captured in Glass highlights different techniques, styles, and various types of paperweights.
The 19th century was the classic period for paperweight manufacture, and this exhibition features works from European glass factories, including Baccarat, Clichy, and St. Louis.
Paperweight production in Europe ceased in the late 19th century.
In the mid-20th century, paperweight manufacture and collecting was revived in both Europe and America. Artists also experimented with new designs, techniques, and materials. Paperweights continue to be a popular object of art today, and manufacturers and artists all over the world have enlarged the scope, scale, design and fabrication of this diminutive object.
Captured in Glass includes more than 200 paperweights, drawn from the FIA's permanent collection given by Mr. and Mrs. William L. Richards from the collection of Mrs. Viola E. Bray, and Mr. Richard A. Shaw's gift of Mrs. Genevieve Shaw's collection, along with loans from L.H. Selman Ltd. gallery, Illinois, and Habatat Galleries, Michigan, as well as several private collectors.
The new decorative arts gallery is funded by the
Isabel Foundation.