are those which have been cased, or completely enveloped, in one or two layers
of glass. The casing, or overlay, of one glass over another was the direct result
of early-nineteenth century attempts to duplicate the technique used in the
creation of the ancient Roman Portland Vase in the British
Museum.The glassmaker cut concave or flat windows (see below) through these
colored layers of concealing glass to reveal the internal designs in the paperweight,
for example, a millefiori mushroom.
The Barker Collection
includes many examples of
these magnificent paperweights, such as the Clichy overlay mushroom and the
St. Louis overlay upright bouquet. A blue and a pink "encased-overlay" St. Louis
weight each illustrate the further embellishment of the double overlay process.
These weights were encased in yet another layer of glass - an astounding technological
Overlay with Upright Bouquet
Saint Louis, circa 1845-55
After an overlay
has been put on a paperweight, it is necessary to cut some windows through which
the viewer can see the interior design. Facets are also often cut in clear glass
paperweights to give a visual effect.
These windows are
called printies. The glassmaker cuts them by grinding the surface of the weight
on a wheel made of stone or wood. it required great skill to cut even parallel
rows of printies, The placement of the printies was important, too. The purpose
was to enhance the design, not interfere with it. Examples of clear paperweights
in the collection with printies are yellow Baccarat lampworked clematis weight,
a Clichy garland millefiori weight with vertical flutes and a circular printy
on top, and a Baccarat sulphide portrait of Napoleon III.