(Paperweights) was invented by Pietro Bigaglia in 1845 and consists in a trasparent glassmass with fragments inside .
The technique, which is extremely sophisticated nowadays, allows to be extremely accurate and to insert in the glass murrine, vertical and horizontal sections of canna , so as colourful glasses set according to specific designs.
A curious thing about paperweights: It seems that were born almost by accident: at the end of the day, the glassworkers of the furnace instead of throwing away scraps of coloured glass, decided to join them in bulk in the molten glass. The result was a rounded and heavy object, useful to keep sheets of paper still.
Credits:
Credits to: Parole di vetro - Marsilio editore ISBN 88-317-7198-1
Pictures by: Bruno Carnevali
Designs by: Alessandro Lenarda
See also: Paperweights: the history of a fine Murano glass work of art
