Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Golden Putti in Azure Blue Seaform with Gold Lip Wrap
Medium: Handblown glass
Size: Seaform - 10 1/4" x 7 1/2" x 4 1/2", Putti - 7 1/4" x 3 3/4" x 2"
Year: 2006
Inscription: Signed and dated
Condition: Very good condition overall, please request a full condition report for details
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
Dale Chihuly created this Golden Putti in Azure Blue Seaform to commemorate the iconic Bellagio ceiling installation. Before selecting a red and gold version to become a limited edition of 25, Chihuly created several prototypes including a black and gold, white and gold, pink and gold, and this blue and gold design. As these other versions were never made into series, this blue and gold putti prototype is one of a kind.
Although a "Putti" in Dale Chihuly's work has come to mean any classical, solid glass figure, the name Putti was inspired from the cherubs featured in the first of their kind creations by the artist. This Chihuly Golden Putti features the cherub that defined the Putti in its earliest iteration. The idea behind Chihuly's Putti series was to combine the modern glass vessels he has become famous for with traditional style, finely detailed solid glass work. The juxtaposition of the old and new glass styles, both rendered with Chihuly's masterful artistry creates a truly original result.
The Azure Blue Seaform is finished with a gold flecked lip to coordinate with the golden putti. The Putti itself consists of both gold and translucent glass and showcases Chihuly’s unrivaled mastery of glass detail work. Although Dale Chihuly created numerous serious featuring the cherubic Putti, this particular piece is one of a kind and not part of any series. Dale Chihuly's Golden Putti is signed and dated by the artist and comes with a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity.
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.