Mid-Century Carl Auböck Brass Door Handle/Door Fixture
About the Item
- Creator:Werkstätte Carl Auböck (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 9.97 in (25.3 cm)Width: 1.3 in (3.3 cm)Depth: 1.7 in (4.3 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6023231444902
Werkstätte Carl Auböck
In Vienna’s Neubau district, a beautiful Biedermeier townhouse has been home to the Werkstätte Carl Auböck for more than 100 years. Inside the workshop, where production continues to this day, countless objects line the shelves, walls, tabletops and desktops.
The Viennese artist and designer Carl Auböck II was one of the quirkiest and most delightful and collectible of modern designers. A rather odd duck in the world of decorative arts, he was a peculiar talent whose specialties included smaller desk accessories and tabletop pieces such as corkscrews, paperweights, letter openers, bookends and bottle stoppers. He rendered these pieces in a combination of metal — most often brass — and such elemental materials as leather, knobby wood and animal horn, creating forms that could be almost Surrealist, from hands and feet to keys, birds and amoebae.
As a boy, Auböck was precocious and artistic. He studied drawing and at the same time trained in the workshop of his father, Karl Heinrich Auböck, a popular maker of traditional bronze figurines and collectibles. In 1919, Carl II went to Germany to study at the Bauhaus, where he was a pupil of the progressive artist and theorist Johannes Itten. While the Bauhaus is most associated with the rigidly ordered, functionalist architecture of its directors Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the school was in reality a liberal, spirited place — a crucible for imaginative, playful and avant-garde art and design. It was this spirit that imbued Carl II’s work from the time he left in 1921.
In 1922 or ’23, Carl Auböck II returned to Vienna to help care for his ailing father, and he took over the business. He created the Werkstätte Carl Auböck and a legacy that earned his objects cult status among collectors. The business was passed on to his descendants, who run the atelier that is still in operation today. Today, objects designed by Carl II make up 90 percent of Werkstätte Carl Auböck’s production, joined by the creations of architect and designer Carl IV, his grandson.
Vintage Auböck designs have a special character, a patina that only emphasizes how much the pieces have been loved and used. Carl Aubock II’s small furniture items — leather- or caned-sling magazine racks; free-edge wooden side tables with tubular bronze legs; wicker serving trolleys with turned beechwood wheels — are elegant and purposeful. His bijoux desktop objects, library tools, ashtrays and barware pieces evince a kind of mirthful practicality. They seem to ask: “If you need a corkscrew, or a paperweight, or a candlestick, why not make it fun as well as functional?” And indeed, why not?
Find a collection of vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck mirrors, seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Vienna, Austria
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Signed Carl Auböck Brass Nutcracker with Leather HandlesBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATThis nutcracker is an original piece of Mid-Century craftsmanship. The design and execution by the Wiener Werkstatte Carl Aubock. Fully signed Aubock and Made in Austria. It is made ...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsBrass
- Original Brass Carl Auböck KorkscrewBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATThis beautiful and unique corkscrew is made from stainless steel and features a brass handle with an antique coin replica. Design by Austrian Bauhaus designer Carl Auböck and crafted...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsStainless Steel, Brass
- Carl Auböck Mid-Century Shoehorn Made from HornBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATFor sale is a beautiful Mid-Century Modern shoehorn. It was manufactured in Vienna in the renowned Austrian workshops of Bauhaus-influenced designer Carl Auböck. This horn shoehorn w...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures and Carvings
MaterialsHorn
- Rare Vintage Mid-Century Carl Auböck Teak Cigar BoxBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATThis beautiful and heavy cigar box, conceived by renowned Austrian designer Carl Auböck, appears in an elegant and noble manner on the table it occupies. The quality of the object sh...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Cigar Boxes and Humidors
MaterialsTeak
- Mid-Century Wooden Bottle Stopper/Cork by Carl AuböckBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATThe item on sale is an original Carl Auböck bottle stopper. It was hand crafted and is made from the finest wood and cork. It has a robust leathe...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Two Giant Enameled Door Handles by Hagenauer Workshop Austria, circa 1960sBy Werkstätte Hagenauer WienLocated in Vienna, ATA set of two giant enamel door handles, by Hagenauer Workshop [Werkstätte] Austria, circa 1960s. This original Hagenauer giant and heavy enameled...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Doors and Gates
MaterialsEnamel
- Pair of Belgian Store Door HandlesLocated in Los Angeles, CAPair of brass and aluminum door handles from a Belgian storefront. Brass panels feature an abstract bas-relief. Handles may be mounted back to back or side by side.Category
Vintage 1960s Belgian Balustrades and Fixtures
MaterialsAluminum, Brass
- Dragon Brass Door Knocker, LargeLocated in New York, NYA strong and substantial brass dragon door knocker, circa 20th century, Asia. Piece, relatively large, has detailed dragon head design, bead detail...Category
20th Century Asian Doors and Gates
MaterialsBrass
- Carl Auböck Model #9030-1 Polished Brass Drawer PullBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Glendale, CACarl Auböck Model #9030-1 polished brass drawer pull. Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese drawer pull is executed in poli...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Doors and Gates
MaterialsBrass
- Carl Auböck Model #9031-1 Polished Brass Drawer PullBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Glendale, CACarl Auböck Model #9031-1 polished brass drawer pull. Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese drawer pull is executed in poli...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Doors and Gates
MaterialsBrass
- Carl Auböck Model #9035-1 Polished Brass Drawer PullBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Glendale, CACarl Auböck Model #9035-1 polished brass drawer pull. Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese drawer pull is executed in poli...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Doors and Gates
MaterialsBrass
- Carl Auböck Model #9070-1 Polished Brass Drawer PullBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Glendale, CACarl Auböck Model #9070-1 polished brass drawer pull. Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese drawer pull is executed in poli...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Doors and Gates
MaterialsBrass