Tapio Wirkkala, Sterling Silver "Tulip" Vase, Model TW 2, Kultakeskus Oy, 1957

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Tapio Wirkkala, Sterling Silver "Tulip" Vase, Model TW 2, Kultakeskus Oy, 1957

About the Item

Tapio Wirkkala - Sterling silver "Tulip" vase, model TW 2 - Kultakeskus Oy Finland, 1957 Artist Tapio Wirkkala (1915 Hanko, Finland - 1985 Helsinki, Finland) A giant of Finnish design, Wirkkala was an artist of great diversity for whom no material was alien and who left no area of design unexplored. A glass design competition held by the Iittala glassworks in 1946 was the event that set his career in motion; the first prize went jointly to Wirkkala and Kaj Franck. With an oeuvre that ranges from exceptionally beautiful pieces of glass art to industrial design in the form of beer bottles and banknotes, Wirkkala also designed jewellery, sculptures, and furniture. More than any Finish designer from his era Wirkkala got his inspiration from the natural world. Together with his wife Rut Bryk – a famous artist / ceramist in her own right – he spent several months each year in his country house in Northern Lapland, situated directly at lake Paadar. The inspiration gained there, watching the changing seasons, Wirkkala incorporated in his many designs. The recipient of many awards, honorary titles, and a doctorate, Wirkkala several Grand Prix and gold medals at the Triennale di Milano. In 1951 together with Hans J. Wegner he was the first recipient of the prestigious Lunning prize, often referred to as “The Nobel prize of design”. His works are collected by many important museums in the world, among others: Museum of Modern Art, New York, Design Museum Helsinki, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Design Museum Gent and The British Museum, London. Description Handmade Sterling silver (916/1000) Tulip shaped vase. Oval-shaped at the top, with folded edges. From where the leaves touch accolades were worked into the object, ending in a rounded base with accolades on the four opposite sides. Tapio Wirkkala designed this object in 1954 and they were handmade to order in three sizes: 30, 22 and 18 cm. This particular TW 2 is an early medium sized example - measuring a generous 24.2 cm in height - and was handmade by the craftsmen of Kultakeskus Oy in the Finish city of Hämeenlinna in 1957. Execution Kultakeskus Oy, Hämeenlinna Finland - 1957. Handmade to order. Marked Fully Hallmarked: TW (Tapio Wirkkala), 916H (916/1000 silver fineness), Kultakeskus / Hopeakeskus Oy mark (reclining lion), Finnish National control mark (crown in heart shape), Year mark for 1957 (D7) and Hämeenlinna city hallmark (stylised 3 towers). Literature Marianne Aav, TAPIO WIRKKALA eye, hand and thought: p. 172 (illustrated), p. 360. Shipping As we pack all our items ourselves, we can on your behalve negotiate a more economic shipping option with 1stDibs. Please contact us if you would like further information.

Creator:
Tapio Wirkkala (Artist),Kultakeskus Oy (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 9.53 in (24.2 cm)Width: 2.84 in (7.2 cm)Depth: 1.86 in (4.7 cm)
Style:
Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Silver,Hammered,Hand-Crafted
Place of Origin:
Finland
Period:
1950-1959
Date of Manufacture:
1957
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. This rare art-object is in good vintage condition. Some minor scratches consistent of age and use. One tiny dent. Visuable on picture #7, halfway through the object, on the left leaf. An enlarged rendition of the tint dent on picture #12.
Seller Location:
EL Waalre, NL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU5141221700802

Shop All Tapio Wirkkala

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.

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