The Glass Menagerie:
A Study of Silhouette Canes in Antique Paperweights
by: John D. Hawley
1995, Paperweight Press, Santa Cruz, CA
100 pages, $45. soft cover
Foreword: “In The Glass Menagerie, John Hawley shares the fascination that millefiori silhouette canes hold for the paperweight collector. The text delivers an interesting mixture of speculation and carefully researched facts.
Hawley’s witty style makes an esoteric subject interesting even to the novice. The experienced and novice collector alike will be intrigued by the new information contained in this book.
Silhouette canes represent some of the most important and technically exquisite examples of the art of millefiori. Sometimes, looking at them is a bit like looking at clouds and trying to describe what you see. Other times, the intent of the artisans who made the canes is obvious.
Both of these styles of canes inspire those who study them to feel curiosity and wonder. For some, the study of silhouettes is an exercise in daydreaming. Some are drawn to silhouette canes as a tool to discovering the attribution of paperweights. The revealing clues these canes present about life in the nineteenth century fascinate others.
In a tour that contains characters as interesting as Dante’s Inferno, John Hawley takes us on a trip to the different regions of the paperweight world inhabited by silhouettes. The Glass Menagerie is a wonderful way to introduce oneself to the rich crystal world of silhouettes."
Larry Selman
