Rare Vintage Magnum John Degenhart Butterfly Paperweight. Circa 1946 – 1964. This is a rare, early Degenhart butterfly paperweight. It features a large butterfly with blue spotted wings and black body flying over a multi-colored frit ground. The wings have four red spots and two green spots. The body has red eyes. Unsigned with an unfinished pontil mark, but I guarantee this paperweight was made by John Degenhart. Examples of this paperweight are found in the two references on Degenhart paperweights. One example is shown on page 99 of the book. Degenhart Glass and Paperweights. American Glass Paperweights and Their Makers. By Jean Melvin (1970), there is a picture on page 49. As described in the Melvin book, the butterfly is crafted of solid [clear glass] crystal and coated with fine glass i. It differs from frit butterflies made by other glass artists in that the design is not set up in a mold. Instead the three dimensional butterfly wings and body are coated with frit. The picture does not do justice to this paperweight. Ignore the white areas, they are glare from the lights. Charles and John Degenhart started their careers in glass working in glass at the Dalzell, Gilmore & Leighton Company factory in Findlay, Ohio. Charles, born in 1882, started first and then John, born in 1884, started at the age of ten in 1894. In 1901, both joined Cambridge Glass in Cambridge, Ohio. The original paperweight production was an after hours activity at Cambridge Glass by Charles and his two sons in the 1920s. John also produced paperweights to help meet the demand. This was with the approval of the company. Of the two, Charles Degenhart was the more skilled artistically. John retired from Cambridge Glass in 1946 and opened the Crystal Art Glass Company shortly after that. Most of the early production was devoted to paperweights. The factory also produced pressed glass novelties in an incredible range of colors. After John died in 1964, his wife Elizabeth took over production. Prior to that, the paperweights were unsigned. There was also a close association with Zack Boyd and his son Bernard, both of whom worked at Crystal Arts. Today in Cambridge, the Boyd family continues to run Crystal Arts. For more information, you can read about the Degenharts in the books. By Jean Melvin (1967 and 1970) and. Very Large Size : 3 1/8″ diameter by 2 5/8″ high. The bottom is fire finished although the remnants of the pontil mark remain. Condition : Very good condition. Some wear and minor scratches on the dome and base. No chips or cracks. There are bubbles at the edge of each wing, which could be considered a flaw but is not damage. Signature : Unsigned, but I guarantee this to be by John Degenhart. Allan’s Paperweights is owned by Allan Port. If in doubt, please check with me first. Please do not ask me to declare this a gift. The item “Rare Vintage Magnum John Degenhart Butterfly Paperweight. Circa 1946 1964″ is in sale since Sunday, February 04, 2018. This item is in the category “Pottery & Glass\Glass\Art Glass\Paperweights”. The seller is “paperweights” and is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France, Australia.
- Brand: DEGENHART
- Type of Glass: BUTTERFLY PAPERWEIGHT
- Original/Reproduction: VINTAGE – ORIGINAL
- Glassmaking Technique: BUTTERFLY PAPERWEIGHT
- Country of Origin: US