Dale Chihuly Large Four Piece Red-Orange Persian Glass Set with $40k Appraisal

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Four Piece Red-Orange Persian Basket Set
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Large Basket: 18" x 10.5" x 7"
Small Basket: 8.725" x 6.25" x 4"
Single Piece: 7" x 3" x 3"
Single Piece: 5.5" x 4" x 4"
Year: 1991
Inscription: Signed and dated "Chihuly 91"
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

Dale Chihuly's Persians are the most ornate and finely detailed of any of his series, showing off his incredible technical ability art artistic vision. Exhibited for the first time in Dale Chihuly's 1986 solo exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs of the Palais du Louvre in Paris, the Persians were described in the exhibition catalogue as "new possibilities from the blowpipe". At the time of the Louvre show, the series was still untitled. Inspired by objects of antiquity like small bottles and vessels, Chihuly described the first Persians as "archeological" treasures.

This 4 piece Persian set is created in a vibrant red-orange hue with a striped body wrap emblematic of the Persian series. The individual components vary in color from russet to vermillion and crimson, creating a sense of enhanced depth when the pieces are combined in a single composition. Each of the four sculpture components is its own completely unique work of art. The set can be displayed in a number of ways, allowing the viewer to have a hand in its final composition. The largest Persian in the set measures a considerable 7.5" x 16.5" x 10.5" while the smallest component measures 5.5" x 2.5" x 2.5". The work is signed and dated "Chihuly 91" on the bottom of one of the smaller components.

This work has been independently appraised by Foss Appraisal Service for an estimated value of $40,000. The Foss Appraisal is included with purchase of the Persian set along with a gallery Certificate of Authenticity from Modern Artifact.

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.