This is a glass sconce made by internationally renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. A sconce is a type of light fixture and Chihuly made this in co-operation with the Waterford Crystal Factory in the Republic of Ireland before it closed in 2009.
The sculpture is made from cut glass and has an organic form, resembling marine life.
Chilhuly was born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, of Slovak heritage. His early life was affected by two tragic events in the late 1950s; the death of his brother in a naval aviation accident and passing of his father two years later. As a result, Chilhuly had no interest in formal education but became interested in art. In the early 1960s, he took a weaving class that progressed to an interest in glass blowing as he used glass shards in one of his tapestries.
In 1976, his career was almost ended by a piece of glass when he was blinded during a road traffic accident. Three years later, he dislocated his shoulder which prevented him from blowing glass. Rather than abandoning glass blowing, he focused on design and hiring crafts people to make his art under his direction.
Today, he is an internationally renowned glass artist and has 12 doctoral degrees from around the world.