V&A Rotunda Chandelier thumbnail 1
V&A Rotunda Chandelier thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Cromwell Road Entrance

V&A Rotunda Chandelier

Chandelier
2001 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The V&A Rotunda Chandelier, created in 2001, is one of a number of works from Chihuly's 'Chandelier' series begun in 1992. Chihuly works extravagantly in richly-coloured blown glass, drawing on the historic techniques of the Murano glassworks in Venice. He was initially intrigued by the space-changing potential of the chandelier form, and has succeeded in massing colour, shade and light alongside a driving sense of movement.

Made by Chihuly and his studio team in Seattle, Washington State, USA, each separate glass element of the V&A Rotunda Chandelier was either free-blown, or was mould-blown into ribbed moulds. Each element is coated inside with polyurethane adhesive and was tied on individually with stainless steel wire to an armature welded from steel rod. A team of six started wiring on from bottom to top and took over five days to complete the work.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleV&A Rotunda Chandelier (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Blown glass, mould-blown glass, steel
Brief description
V&A Rotunda Chandelier. Blue and green blown glass, Dale Chihuly, Seattle, USA, 2001
Physical description
Over 1400 blue and green blown and mould-blown glass elements wired to a steel armature.
Dimensions
  • Height: 27ft
  • Greatest width width: 12ft
  • Including chain and armature weight: 3800lb
Some individual elements are no longer than 10" in length while others are 59" or more.
Credit line
On loan from Chihuly Studio, Seattle, Washington, USA
Historical context
This sculpture is one of a number of works entitled 'Chandelier', a series which Chihuly began in 1992.
Production
Designed by Dale Chihuly and made under his direction by the Chihuly Studio. An earlier version 'Ice Blue and Spring Green' was originally installed in the Grand Entrance of the V&A in 1999. This was modified and enlarged in 2001 to form the present V&A Rotunda Chandelier.
Summary
The V&A Rotunda Chandelier, created in 2001, is one of a number of works from Chihuly's 'Chandelier' series begun in 1992. Chihuly works extravagantly in richly-coloured blown glass, drawing on the historic techniques of the Murano glassworks in Venice. He was initially intrigued by the space-changing potential of the chandelier form, and has succeeded in massing colour, shade and light alongside a driving sense of movement.

Made by Chihuly and his studio team in Seattle, Washington State, USA, each separate glass element of the V&A Rotunda Chandelier was either free-blown, or was mould-blown into ribbed moulds. Each element is coated inside with polyurethane adhesive and was tied on individually with stainless steel wire to an armature welded from steel rod. A team of six started wiring on from bottom to top and took over five days to complete the work.
Collection
Accession number
LOAN:CHIHULY.1-1999

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
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