Gentile Paperweights for Sale
Gentile Paperweights for Sale
The paperweights on this page are all the work of the Gentile Family. The original glass worker in the family was Peter Gentile, born in Naples, Italy in 1884. He worked in Naples (Italy), Rochester (Pennsylvania), and Morgantown (West Virginia) before building his own factory in Star City (West Virginia) in 1947.
His sons, Frankie, John and Joe Gentile helped him make paperweights in the off hours at the Guild Factory in Morgantown. However, most paperweight production since WWII has been associated with Peter, John, or John's wife Gertrude Gentile. Few weights were signed prior to 1963. John Gentile passed away in 2006 and it is believed that Gentile Glass closed down after his death. Most, if not all, paperweights produced from 1975 on were signed.
For more information, you can read about the Gentiles in the book American Glass Paperweights and Their Makers by Jean Melvin (1967 and 1970). For some great references on paperweights, check out my list of paperweight books for sale.
If you would like to purchase
any of these paperweights, e-mail me at: aport@paperweights.com
| 2276 | Vintage American "FROM A FRIEND" Frit
Paperweight - Probably Made by Gentile Glass. circa
1900-1974. This frit paperweight features a "FROM A FRIEND"
message in white frit with an outer wreath garland. The
design is placed over a multi-colored ground of larger glass
chips. A great gift item to raise a friend's spirits.
This example in unsigned but I suspect it was made at Gentile
Glass in Star City, West Virginia based on the shape and bottom
finish. An identical example of the paperweight and the die
used to produce the design are shown in American Glass
Paperweights and Their Makers (1970) by Jean Melvin (see
pages 69 - 71). This is a great addition to any collection
of American paperweights. The Melvin book mentions that the motto weights like the "FROM A FRIEND" paperweight were popular items sold to distributors and gift shops throughout the US and Canada. The dies were originally used by Peter Gentile when he worked at the Fry Factory in Rochester, NY and continued to be used by the Gentile factory once they started their own factory. This style of paperweight was made by many glass companies throughout the glass producing areas of the midwestern US (Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, or even New Jersey) in the first half of the 20th century and later. Frit refers to the powdered glass used to make the design. The design is set up in a metal die and then picked up with a gather of a ground color. Sometimes the maker can be identified by researching the mold or die used to set up the design. According to Newell's Old Glass Paperweights of Southern New Jersey , frit weights were made as early as 1863. Newell identifies this style as a true folk art. The original glass worker in the Gentile
family was Peter Gentile, born in Naples, Italy in
1884. He worked in Naples(Italy), Rochester
(Pennsylvania), and Morgantown (West Virginia) before building
his own factory in Star City (West Virginia) in 1947.
Originally the factory was a short-lived partnership (G. and
F. Glass Co.) with John Funfrock, a mold maker. His
sons, Frankie, John and Joe Gentile helped him make
paperweights in the off hours at the Guild Factory in
Morgantown. However, most paperweight production since
WWII has been associated with Peter, John, or John's wife
Gertrude Gentile. Few weights were signed prior to
1963. John Gentile passed away in 2006 and it is
believed that Gentile Glass closed down after his death.
Most, if not all, paperweights produced from 1975 on were
signed. For more information, you can read about the
Gentile Family in the book American Glass Paperweights and
Their Makers by Jean Melvin (1967 and 1970). Large Size: 3 5/16" diameter by 2 3/4" high.
The base is fire finished. For extra pictures, click on the picture at the right and the following links: Large pictureSOLD. Click on the picture to see a larger image. |
 |
| 5174 | Magnum Peter Gentile Three Color
Swirl and Bubble Paperweight. circa 1950-1970.
This design was first developed by Peter Gentile in the 1940s and
was continued in the Gentile family product line in subsequent
years. This is an especially nice example with a three color
swirl made from six rods of green, blue, and yellow. In the
center is a controlled bubble swirl pattern and a carefully placed
large tear shaped bubble on top. This is an exceptionally
large example worthy of any collection of paperweights.
The original glass worker in the Gentile family was Peter Gentile, born in Naples, Italy in 1884. He worked in Naples(Italy), Rochester (Pennsylvania), and Morgantown (West Virginia) before building his own factory in Star City (West Virginia) in 1947. His sons, Frankie, John and Joe Gentile helped him make paperweights in the off hours at the Guild Factory in Morgantown. However, most paperweight production since WWII has been associated with Peter, John, or John's wife Gertrude Gentile. Few weights were signed prior to 1963. It is believed that Gentile Glass remained in production until 2006. Most, if not all, paperweights produced from 1975 on were signed. For more information, you can read about the Gentiles in the book American Glass Paperweights and Their Makers by Jean Melvin (1967 and 1970) . Very Large Size: 3 3/8" diameter by just under 3
1/2" high. The base is polished concave with a remainder
of the pontil mark. For extra pictures, click on the picture at the right and the following links: Large picture of the paperweightSOLD. Click on the picture to see a larger image. |
Click on the
picture to see a larger image  |
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Gentile Glass 1980 Frit Butterfly
Paperweight. dated 1980. This paperweight
features a frit (ground glass) butterfly surrounded by a
controlled arrangement of bubbles. The wings of the
butterfly are made with a speckled mixture of blue frit. The
body and antennae are made with yellow frit. This design was
set up in a metal die having the butterfly design and then
finished by adding the bubbles with a larger mold. It is
signed on the base with a 1980 pontil stamp having the outline of
West Virginia and the letter G where Star City is located.
An nice example. According to Jean Melvin's 1970 book American Glass Paperweights and Their Makers, this design was patented by John Funfrock in 1948. Funfrock made the die (mold) and Peter Gentile made the first paperweights with this design. At the time, Peter Gentile and John Funfrock were partners in the G. and F. Glass Co. The earliest design had the butterfly hovering over a flower. The paperweight is made by arranging ground glass with the desired colors in a die with depressions for the wings, body, and flower. The design is then picked up with a gather of clear glass and finished into a paperweight. The bubbles are added by pressing the nearly finished paperweight into a larger mold with points where the bubbles are to be. You can see a picture of the mold used in Melvin's book. The original glass worker in the Gentile family was Peter Gentile, born in Naples, Italy in 1884. He worked in Naples(Italy), Rochester (Pennsylvania), and Morgantown (West Virginia) before building his own factory in Star City (West Virginia) in 1947. Originally the factory was a short-lived partnership (G. and F. Glass Co.) with John Funfrock, a mold maker. His sons, Frankie, John and Joe Gentile helped him make paperweights in the off hours at the Guild Factory in Morgantown. However, most paperweight production since WWII has been associated with Peter, John, or John's wife Gertrude Gentile. Few weights were signed prior to 1963. John Gentile passed away in 2006 and it is believed that Gentile Glass closed down after his death. Most, if not all, paperweights produced from 1975 on were signed. For more information, you can read about the Gentile Family in the book American Glass Paperweights and Their Makers by Jean Melvin (1967 and 1970). Large Size: 2 15/16" diameter by 2 15/16"
high. The base is finished with a pontil stamp. For extra pictures, click on the picture at the right and the following links: Large picture of the paperweightSOLD. Click on the picture to see a larger image. |
Click on the picture to see a
larger image  |
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