The Wave

Original text of Saint-Louis:
This paperweight showcases the famous wave by Hokusai, reinterpreted in three dimensions by the layering of four millefiori. Crafted from around a hundred sugar drops patiently assembled by hand, they offer a subtle blend of blues, blacks and whites to evoke the mysterious and fascinating depths of the sea. The blue, in particular, recalls the Prussian blue that Hokusai used in his original woodblock print. This colour was extremely innovative at the time, as it had only just been imported to Japan from Europe.
The movement of the wave is depicted in two distinct phases: in the foreground, the wave emerges in a still-reasonable size while in the background, the wave unfurls in all its vigour, ready to plunge back into the turbulent sea. Visible from the front and the back, the wave reveals itself fully to us, deploying all its breadth and power.
Two slender boats appear amidst the swell, reminding us of the place of humans in the face of mighty nature. They are crafted from a rod of yellow crystal using a blowtorch.
The overall composition is set in a clear crystal cylinder, which is then enveloped in a calotte crafted from flannel grey crystal, white enamelled crystal and clear crystal. Combined with the paperweight’s circular shape, large concave pearls cut on the cylinder’s two surfaces reinforce the wave’s sense of movement and accompany the infinite rolling of the swell. The result is that although the paperweight remains motionless on its flat base, its decoration comes to life.
lim. Edition 88,
nummeriert, signiert und datiert,
D: ca. 95 cm
H: ca. 65 cm
Gewicht: 1,3 kg

Liefertermin: 2026

Saint-Louis