Carl Aubock Carving Knife and Fork Set, 1960s, Vienna
About the Item
- Creator:Werkstätte Carl Auböck (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 14.97 in (38 cm)Width: 1.19 in (3 cm)Depth: 0.79 in (2 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6023226274592
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.
- Carl Aubock Cutting Board & Knife and Fork Set. 1950sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATCarl Aubock Cutting Board & Knife and Fork Set. Original detailing and finishes, walnut cutting board, stainless steel flatware, rattan wrapped handles, leather strap. Stamped sig...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Original Midcentury Carl Auböck Brass Bottle Opener in the Shape of a KeyBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATFor sale is a beautiful bottle opener in key shape. It was crafted from brass and designed by the renowned workshops of Carl Auböck in Austria. The item represents the typical reduce...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass
- Carl Aubock Art-Deco Salt and Pepper Shaker Set, Pre-War Production, Early 1930sLocated in Vienna, ATArt-Deco Salt and pepper shaker set. Prewar production - very early 30s. The body of the shakers (apple and pear) is made of coloured Bakelite, the stems are of silver plated brass....Category
Vintage 1930s More Dining and Entertaining
MaterialsSilver Plate, Brass
- Midcentury Auböck Bottle Stopper Historical Coin MotiveBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATFor sale is a beautiful bottle stopper with a historical coin motive. It was crafted from brass and cork and designed by the renowned workshops of Carl Auböck in Austria. It represen...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass
- Midcentury Auböck Bottle Stopper Historical Coin MotiveBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATFor sale is a beautiful bottle stopper with a historical coin motive. It was crafted from brass and cork and designed by the renowned workshops of Carl Auböck in Austria. It represen...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Auböck String Bottle HolderBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATHeavy and solid sculptural looping wire bottle holder by Carl Aubock II. In excellent shape, surface shows fine patina, according to age. The rattan grip wrapping still fully intact....Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Industrial More Desk Accessories
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage 1950s Two Sets of Knives and Forks Carl AuböckBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in London, GBTwo vintage sets of knives and forks, model number #4244, by the Auböck Workshop, Vienna, circa 1950. The body of the cutlery is made from stainless steel, the handle of each piece is woven with wicker cane. Each set is complete with the original leather holster...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Boxed Mid Century Carving Set 5009, Knife and Fork by Amboss Austria, 1960sBy Amboss AustriaLocated in Vienna, ATA beautiful and unusual Austrian "max - design" carving knife and fork set, executed in the 1960s, model# 5009 by Amboss Austria. Stainless stee...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Knife and Fork, Horn and Metal, Carl Auböck Vienna, AustriaBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATA knife and a fork, handle made of horn by Carl Auböck.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Tableware
MaterialsMetal
- Carl Auböck Knife, Austria 1960sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Berlin, DECarl Auböck knife, Austria 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Knife Boxes
MaterialsSteel
- Carl Auböck Knife, Austria 1960sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Berlin, DECarl Auböck Knife made of steel and horn, Austria 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Knife Boxes
MaterialsSteel
- Carl Auböck Triangular Walnut Cutting Board with Amboss KnifeBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, AustriaA beautiful vintage triangular cutting board and knife set, designed and made by Carl Auböck in the 1950s. The board is walnut with leather loop that holds the knife. The knife is m...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern More Dining and Entertaining
MaterialsMetal