Dale Chihuly Signed Original 1971 Violet Vase with Gold Detailing Handblown Glass

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Violet Vase with Gold Threads
Medium: Handblown glass
Size: 7 ¾” h × 5 ½”
Year: 1971
Inscription: Etched “Chihuly 1971”
Condition: Very good condition overall, please request a full report for condition details
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

Dale Chihuly's 1971 Violet Vase with Gold Threads is one of the earliest pieces ever signed by Dale Chihuly, making it a significant and museum-worth piece. This early Chihuly piece was most likely created while he was the program head at the Glass Department at the Rhode Island School of Design. His early glassworks were subdued and became bolder and more colorful as he explored new glassblowing techniques and methods. However, this early vase still shows his interest in asymmetry and experimentation with form and light. Furthermore, the combination of deep violets and shimmery golds showcases his interest in how contrasting colors interact.

Chihuly is well-known for his innovative techniques for creating handblown glass sculptures. His glass practice is a departure from traditional symmetrical and perfectly formed vessels. Instead, his works embrace asymmetry and irregular shapes to create unique sculptural forms.

Dale Chihuly's Violet Vase with Gold Threads includes a gallery certificate of authenticity. The work is etched “Chihuly 1971.” Furthermore, the artwork is in very good condition overall. Please request a full report for condition details.

About Dale Chihuly

One of the most famous contemporary glass artists in the world, Dale Chihuly is best known for his monumental sculptures and installations. He is the name behind the spectacular ceiling at the Bellagio’s flower garden in Las Vegas and the creator of the Rotunda Chandelier at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Glass works of Dale Chihuly are considered some of the most desired collectibles between the decorative arts devotees today. Despite his initial indifference towards education, Chihuly has spent a lot of time in school, obtaining both scientific and artistic degree in sculpture from prestigious graduate schools. He displayed a proclivity for interior design and craft early on, but his true passion was always in the glass. He was a Fulbright Fellow in the late 1960s and an apprentice at the Venini Glass Factory in Venice. Mastering the art of Murano glasswork, he continued the experiments with glassblowing and thus became one of the people who brought the ancient art of glassblowing back into the spotlight on an international scale.

Monumental and small-scale artwork of Dale Chihuly is present in over 200 most renowned decorative art collections today, while the artist holds twelve honorary doctorates!

The most illustrious series in his work are Cylinders and Baskets he created in the 1970s; Macchia, Venetians, and Persians from the 1980s, Niijima Floats and Chandeliers created in the 1990s; and a more recent one, Fiori from the 2000s.

For over 30 years, Dale Chihuly has been acting as an artistic director of his team of craftsmen, since he was incapacitated in two accidents, which left him blind in one eye and incapable of holding the blowing tube. This change allowed him to see the possibilities of glass work on a broader scale, while still maintaining his recognizable style.