Tapio Wirkkala Art Glass Carafe
View Similar Items
Tapio Wirkkala Art Glass Carafe
About the Item
- Creator:Tapio Wirkkala (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 10 in (25.4 cm)Diameter: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Miami, FL
- Reference Number:Seller: GDCKVC1971stDibs: 1406259161839
Tapio Wirkkala
Along with architect Alvar Aalto, the designer Tapio Wirkkala was Finland’s leading contributor to the Scandinavian interpretation of modernism in the mid-20th century. Prolific and innovative, Wirkkala excelled in a wide range of fields, including glass, furniture, porcelain, jewelry and tableware. The hallmark of his talent was an ability to impart a craft aesthetic based on natural forms — leaves, ice, bubbles, birds — to industrially produced designs.
A native of Helsinki, Wirkkala studied at the national School of Applied Arts and took up a career in graphic design. After serving in the Finnish army during World War II, he joined the glassmaking firm Iittala, an association that would continue to the end of his life. Wirkkala learned every aspect of glassmaking in keeping with his belief that an artist-designer should be involved in all stages of production. His best-known works for Iittala are vases and drinking vessels that resemble either carved ice or icicles. In 1956, Wirkkala began a long relationship with the porcelain maker Rosenthal, for whom he designed elegant table pieces, such as the Finlandia coffee service and the biomorphic Pollo vases.
House Beautiful magazine declared Wirkkala’s Leaf platter the “most beautiful object” of 1951. (The acclaim led to his brief employment stint with industrial designer Raymond Loewy in New York.) That platter was one of the first designs Wirkkala made using laminated sheets of plywood sanded to a smooth surface that resembles an abstract leaf. It would go on to become a motif in many Wirkkala furniture pieces — most notably in inlaid coffee tables for Asko — and in a sense these are the works most emblematic of his personal aesthetic.
Wirkkala was a traditionalist in many ways, but he had a modernist’s practical approach, incorporating his leaf-like spirals into simple, functional objects. That is the core attraction of Wirkkala’s designs: They stand out with a striking, sculptural energy yet blend in as part of a warm and comfortable decor.
Find vintage Tapio Wirkkala furniture on 1stDibs.
- Glass Bowl Tapio WirkkalaBy Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated in Sagaponack, NYA beautifully executed vessel or ice bowl in the form of a drinking glass having an organic free-form base evocative of winter ice.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Barware
- Tapio Wirkkala Mid-Century Modernist "Pallas" Art Glass VaseBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Downingtown, PATapio Wirkkala Mid-Century Modernist "Pallas" art glass vase, 1984-95 From a collection of Wirkkala glass vessels-ask for details. Impressive Mid-Century still-molded vase cast ...Category
Late 20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass
- Tapio Wirkkala Line Cut Leaf Art Glass Objects/Bowls, SignedBy Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated in East Hampton, NYThis lovely and signed set of four glass pieces produced by Iittala in line cut engraved forms. Three of the larger bowls have full and distinct signatures along the edges. These exq...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Desk Sets
MaterialsGlass
- Tapio Wirkkala's Murano glass dish for VeniniBy Tapio Wirkkala, VeniniLocated in Vicenza, VIPlate by Tapio Wirkkala for Venini, worked in incalmo blown glass with filigree. The incalmo technique consists of hot coupling two blown shapes along their circumference, so as to o...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Other Glass
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Tapio Wirkkala, "Pavoni", 1989By Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Paris, FRTapio Wirkkala 'Pavoni' Vase, c. 1989 Execution: Venini, blown glass, red and cream. Signed: Venini murano, incised signature. (Picture 3 & 4) H : 20 cm (7.9") Overall Very goo...Category
1990s Finnish Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass
- Tapio Wirkkala Leaf LittalaBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Bruxelles, BEGlass leaf designed by Tapio Wirkkala circa 1955 for Littala.Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsGlass