Believe it or not paperweights were part of a showcase of international artistic innovation at The Great Exhibition of 1851. Paperweights were viewed as luxury items that satisfied the C19th taste for ornamentation, but were inexpensive to make.

Letter writing was a popular activity at the time and paperweights became a fashionable and economical way to decorate a home while keeping papers organised
in drafty rooms

Over time experimentations and new techniques took paperweights away from their sole functional purpose into their own world of artistic expression. They’ve gone from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again. Ours are for beauty and made as mementos from the Grand Tour we never took.

Handmade in London and measuring approximately 8cm x 7cm x 2cm.

Made from Jesmonite. Not for consumption. Keep out of reach of children.