Something unusual is happening in our summer auction. Our star lot is just a baby. It is the only Clichy moss ground miniature we have caught sight of or even heard about. Typically, a Selman Lot 1 would not be a miniature, and, in fact, I doubt that there has ever been one. In this case, though, rarity is the determining attribute, not size. We will be curious to see whether or not the appearance of this little paperweight centerfold will bring another miniature moss ground out of the shadows. This, we find, is one of the wonderful things about auctions. They not only make wonderful works of art available for purchase, help to drive the market and to establish market value, but by the very nature of their pervasiveness, they provide a public forum otherwise hard to establish, most particularly in a community as far-reaching and border-snubbing as is the paperweight community. Perhaps the little Clichy is about to find some long-lost cousins. Then again, perhaps not.
Of the moderns, a particularly stunning Stankard orb will be among the mix, along with older pieces of his that I especially love for their simplicity of design and for their poetry. We have a rare James Kontes strawberry masterpiece and pieces by Vandermark-Merritt and Barry Sautner. Apart from the Lundberg Studio assemblage, reliably full of beauties, for this auction we have created a special section for Steven Lundberg and the studio he called “Steven Lundberg Glass Art”. It happens rarely that we have so many of his pieces to share, and one would be wise to make use of this opportunity. A Randy Grubb cylindrical sculpture, an astonishing feat of encasement, should be considered very carefully, not just for its technical mastery, but for the charm of its design.
As always, we are flush with Perthshires, the exotic and the comfy old robe paperweights that just feel good in our hands and delight the eye. There is truly something for everyone, straight across the board.
