An outstanding assortment of thirty-six millefiori is gathered in three spaced concentric rings around a large and striking iconic pink and green rose cane. The canes include an additional rose of contrasting color in each ring, pastry molds, stardust, edelweiss flowers and cogs, among others, in various shades of pink, red, blue and purple, with a bit of green, yellow and white. A carpet of green moss canes, each centered by a tiny red-dotted white floret, creates the soft groundwork for the colorful millefiori. “Clichy used its moss ground in this weight to create the illusion of vibrant wildflowers on a green lawn.” —The Art of the Paperweight: Challenging Tradition. “One of the most sought after paperweight designs is Clichy’s striking spaced millefiori on a moss green carpet ground.” —The Art of the Paperweight. Diameter 3 1/4”

Giovanni Franchini produced exquisite picture and word canes that were utilized in Pietro Bigaglia’s famous paperweights. The date of “22 Dec 1845” was particularly important since it commemorates the very special day in December when Czar Nicholas I of Russia visited Venice, as indicated by the letters “NC” appearing below a picture cane of a crown. A few other monogrammed examples were made for special guests during this same occasion, including one with the letter “O” for the King of Greece and the letter “A” for his wife, Amalia. The Czar’s paperweight represents a typical Bigaglia burst of strong colors and goldstone made from a dense gathering of bits of ribbons, canes and filigree. Picture canes of rose bushes, a gondola, characters from the popular Italian “Commedia dell’Arte” the Arlecchino and the Pantaloon, a lion of St. Mark, different animals and a variety of complex millefiori, including crosses, representing the zeitgeist of 1845 Venice that Franchini wanted to impress on the special visitor, are scattered on the surface of the colorful background. Diameter 2 13/16”

A complex cane, with tiers of tiny white florets, some collared in pink and the central one with a yellow collar, is the apex of a spun carpet of green cog staves, each lined with red and dotted with a small white and blue floret cane. Clear ground. Diameter 2 15/16”

A horse, a dog, a devil, two dancing devils and a dancing couple, all in silhouette of various styles and colors, spin in a mad gallop around a central complex cane, nestled in a cambered carpet of iconic goldenrod cog canes. Signature/date cane. Diameter 2 1/2”

Four dimensional dark mauve plums hang on thin brown stems from an olive-green branch adorned with two mint-green leaves and three forest-green leaves. Opaque white ground. Pictured and discussed on page 46 of Identifying Glass Paperweights: The Less Familiar. Excellent condition. Diameter 3”

Ten iconic pink and green rose canes shine in a vivid concentric field of millefiori, including cobalt blue pastry molds, white stardust canes, purple cogs, green moss canes, among others. The design is held in a basket of alternating white and blue vertical staves, over a clear ground. From the collection of Harvey H. and Doris B. Robinson. Excellent condition. Diameter 2 13/16”

A quatrefoil garland of purple and green cog canes interlaces with a quatrefoil garland of thirty-six iconic pink and green rose canes, around a close concentric design of a large central blue and white ruffle complex cane, a ring of red canes and an outer ring of green moss canes. Clear ground. Fine condition. Diameter 2 7/8”

A large classic pink and green rose cane is surrounded by a ring of contrasting purple pastry mold canes, inside a garland of five signature C-scroll garlands in blue, pink and green canes, including one made of moss canes. Clear ground. Excellent condition. Diameter 2 3/4”

A mushroom cap has an iconic pink and green rose cane at the apex, encircled by four close concentric rings of contrasting complex canes in red, blue, green and white. A basket of alternating pale blue and white staves is pulled downward to create a stem for the mushroom. Star-cut clear ground. Six and one facets. “Mushroom bouquets are among the most beautiful and technically challenging weights produced during the classic period.” —The Art of the Paperweight: Challenging Tradition. Excellent condition. Diameter 2 15/16”

A ring of nine iconic pink and green rose canes surrounds a central moss cane and is surrounded by four more close concentric rings of complex canes, including purple pastry molds, ruffle canes and white floret canes. The concentric rings form the tuft of a mushroom, held in a white and pink staves basket, pulled downward to create a stem. Daisy-cut clear ground. Cerulean blue-over-white double overlay, with five and one facets. Good condition. Diameter 3 1/4”