A chandelier made from Venetian Murano glass is the top lot of a modern art and design sale at Palm Beach Modern Auctions in Florida.
The lot is valued at $40,000-75,000, with the sale due to take place on March 22.
 The chandelier features hundreds of hand-blown flowers |
Murano is a series of small islands within the Venetian Lagoon, famed for its glass production. The foundries of Venice were ordered to move there by the senate in 1291 after concerns were raised about the risk of fire.
The glassmakers grew prosperous and were permitted freedom from prosecution and the right to marry into the families of local nobles, although leaving the republic was punishable by death - a law brought in to prevent outsiders from developing the secret techniques.
The chandelier was built in the mid 20th century and was originally installed in the lobby of the Hotel Bristol in Sorrento, Italy.
While the frame is original, around half of the exquisitely hand-blown flowers were replaced recently by a Murano artisan.
A Philip and Kelvin Laverne "Odyssey II" table is valued at $20,000-30,000.
The bronze, pewter and enamel piece is etched with scenes from Homer's Odyssey and is one of only two ever produced, with the other bought by Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.
Their reinterpreted classical furniture, which they produced between the 1950s and 1970s, was usually buried in the ground in a chemical bath to give it a uniquely stained and patinated finish.
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