Artisans create miniature worlds inside palm-sized crystal balls. Photos provided to China Daily

It may take an innocent yet transcendental eye "to see a world in a grain of sand", as the English poet William Blake wrote in the opening of his Auguries of Innocence.

But to appreciate a world "miniaturized" into palm-sized crystal balls, where the camelia blooms, the bee nestles and the aurora borealis shines in a Shanghai art gallery, it's just about "taking a close look, quietly".

With the century-old French glassmaker Crystal Saint-Louis bringing some of its "creme de la creme" paperweights to the metropolis, a small domed world that might be just as marvelous as the real one is unveiled.

The weeklong paperweight exhibition, hosted by Galerie Dumonteil in Sinan Mansions, features a collection of 30 decorative crystal balls, both vintage pieces and contemporary creations, selected from the cristallerie's long history, since 1586.

Shanghai marks the third stop, after Paris and Tokyo, of this traveling exhibition, which should not only "showcase the iconic crystal of the brand, but also the longstanding craftsmanship and an important representative of French prestige".

"It is an obligation to have it in Shanghai," Pierre M Dumonteil, the founder and owner of the hosting gallery, says.

And the reasons are "many", as the town can "feel the temperature of the world for today and the future". And the relationship between Chinese people and paper and ink is so strong that the paperweights on display may be "more exciting" for them than for Europeans, even though computers have become the center of families around the world.

The exhibits, with an average price of about 25,000 yuan ($4,130) though some are not for sale are divided into five themes according to their main colors.

The opening piece is a green three-dimensional water flower blooming to form the contours of its pistil, all in glass rods. It is named Notus, after the god of the south wind in Greek mythology, who is believed to "have been trapped in this paperweight".

The ending piece, a white ceramic horse encased in a blue sphere, reflects the Year of the Horse in Chinese astrology.

The tradition of antique paperweights can be traced back to 1845, led by several French cristallerie including Saint-Louis. During its heyday, a total of 15,000 to 25,000 weights were produced, according to the The Art of the Paperweight: Saint-Louis.

The interest in these little crystal balls, mainly for collections, has waxed and waned over the past century, while the glassmaking art gradually fades, leaving Saint-Louis one of the few, if not the last, crystal makers who continue the production.

"We probably (will forever) need paper for very important things, and not only for invoices," says Dumonteil.

"If we have paper, we will need something to keep it (in place). It could be a file, or a paperweight. And a paperweight is more poetic."

xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn

French glassmaker Crystal Saint-Louis' paperweights on display feature both vintage pieces and contemporary creations.

(China Daily 01/12/2014 page9)