Chihuly Glass .......

Dale Chihuly is the artist who created “Fiori di Como,” the glass sculpture that hangs from the ceiling in Bellagio’s lobby.      The piece covers 2,100 square feet.       The reported price The Bellagio paid for this masterpiece was $10 million.

The sculpture consists of 2,000 hand-blown glass blossoms that weigh about 40,000 pounds.    They are supported by a 10,000-pound steel armature.     Every morning between 2 and 5 a.m., a team of eight to 10 engineers cleans and maintains the sculpture.

There is also a gallery down the street.

There were no signs posted about photography, so I discreetly took a couple pictures.

In 1976 Chihuly was involved in a serious car accident in England and lost sight in his left eye.   Shortly after that he was involved in a body surfing accident that left him physically unable to hold the glassblowing pipe.     Since then he has relied on a team of talented glassblowers to carry out his artistic vision.