Dale Chihuly, Macchia, 1985

Glass, hand-blown. 14.25 x 17.5 x 16.5 in. Estimate: from $18,000 to $25,000

Note: Dale Chihuly's mid-eighties' Macchia with yellow and purple wrap with blue coloring, shows a strong opaque orange interior which is variously revealed near the bottom. This work is Unique.

Dale Chihuly, Blue and Green Macchia with Orange Lip, 1990

Glass, unique blown glass. 17.25 x 26.5 x 13.5 in. Estimate: from $20,000 to $30,000

Notes: Evoking the sea, Dale Chihuly's huge and dramatic, early nineties' work shows fluid swirls, strie stripes and spots of vivid blues and greens, with a fabulous orange rimmed, rippled lip and a clear bottom. This work is Unique.

Dale Chihuly's 'Macchia' works (Italian for "spotted"), feature brilliant and wildly contrasting color palettes inside and out, and are separated by a layer of white glass "clouds" that maintain the color vibrancy.

"The “Macchia” series began with my waking up one day wanting to use all 300 of the colors in the hot shop. I started by making up a color chart with one color for the interior, another color for the exterior, and a contrasting color for the lip wrap, along with various jimmies and dusts of pigment between the gathers of glass. Throughout the blowing process, colors were added, layer upon layer. Each piece was another experiment. When we unloaded the ovens in the morning, there was the rush of seeing something I had never seen before. Like much of my work, the series inspired itself. The unbelievable combinations of color—that was the driving force." —Dale Chihuly

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