Hand-Blown Studio Glass Paperweight | Cobalt Blue Swirl & Controlled Bubbles | Clear Glass | Unattributed | 20th Century

The bubble suspended at the centre is not a flaw — it is the moment the maker chose to stop.

This hand-blown glass paperweight is of near-spherical form with a flat ground base. The body is clear throughout, with a sweeping cobalt blue swirl contained within the mid-section — an asymmetric, fluid form that curves from the lower left across the body, tapering to a fine trailing edge at one side. The blue mass carries its own scattered fine bubble inclusions across its surface, giving it a textured, luminous quality when light passes through. Throughout the broader clear body, a field of small controlled bubbles is distributed at varying depths, ranging from pinpoint to several millimetres in diameter. A single larger, perfectly spherical bubble is suspended centrally above the blue swirl, its clarity and placement giving the piece a natural focal point. The base is ground flat and frosted, with the blue swirl visible from below as a rounded, matte-finished form surrounded by the clear body. The piece is unsigned and carries no maker's mark.

There are no chips or cracks. The piece is in sound condition throughout.

• Form: Paperweight
• Material: Hand-blown glass
• Colours: Clear and cobalt blue
• Decoration: Cobalt blue swirl, scattered fine bubble field, single large suspended bubble
• Maker: Unattributed
• Period: 20th century
• Diameter: 7.5 cm
• Weight: 572 g

What is sealed inside glass cannot shift, cannot settle, cannot be rearranged — which is perhaps why we find it easier to look at than most things in the world.