Asher Durand rectangle paperweight

Art: 'Kindred Spirits' (1849) Durand’s masterpiece depicts Cole and poet William Cullen Bryant in Kaaterskill Clove, surrounded by towering trees and waterfalls. The scene captures Durand’s view of nature as both moral and spiritual, a reflection of the divine through its harmony and grandeur.

Asher B. Durand (1796–1886) was an American painter and engraver, central to the Hudson River School. Trained as an engraver, he began painting in the 1830s under Thomas Cole’s influence, creating finely detailed landscapes that expressed his belief in nature as divine.

John Derian decoupage: is collaged paper under handblown glass in his studio in New York City, where he employs a small staff of artisans to assist with production.