Ashtray, Brass and Wood, Carl Auböck Vienna, Austria
About the Item
- Creator:Werkstätte Carl Auböck (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.97 in (5 cm)Width: 10.63 in (27 cm)Depth: 6.3 in (16 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:ca
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5423225577402
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 7 days of delivery.
- Pipe Stand, Brass and Leather, Carl Auböck Vienna, AustriaBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATPipe stand made by Carl Auböck coated with leather.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsBrass
- Horn Lighter, Carl Auböck Vienna, AustriaBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATLighter for the table and for decoration by Carl Auböck.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsBrass
- Lighter in Cubic Shape, Horn and Brass, Carl Auböck Vienna, AustriaBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATCubic lighter by Carl Auböck made of horn.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsBrass
- Fruit Bowl, Brass, Carl Auböck Vienna, AustriaBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATA fruit bowl made of wire brass by Carl Auböck.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Serving Bowls
MaterialsBrass
- Coin Tray, Brass, Carl Auböck Vienna, AustriaBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATA coin tray made of brass by Carl Auböck.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Decorative Bowls
MaterialsBronze
- Coffee Pot, Copper and Brass, Carl Auböck Vienna, AustriaBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATCoffee pot by Carl Auböck 1950s for Werkstätte Carl Auböck.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Serving Pieces
MaterialsBrass, Copper
- Signed Heavy Brass Ashtray by Carl Auböck Vienna AustriaBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATThe piece on offer is a unique example of mid-century craftsmanship. It was designed and produced by the renowned Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck. Aubock was visibly influenced by the German school of Bauhaus as he did part of his studies there. This influence is also noticeable in the presented item. This archaic heavy ashtray...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsBrass
- Rare Carl Aubock Copper & Brass Tripod Floor Ashtray, Austria, 1950sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATA rare modernist vintage floor standing ashtray from the 1950s, designed and executed by Carl Auböck, Vienna. The bowl of this beautiful...Category
20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsCopper, Brass
- Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brass Copper Carl Auböck Standing Ashtray Vienna 1950By Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATMid-Century Modern vintage brass and copper standing ashtray, which was designed by Carl Auböck and manufactured by Workshop Carl Auböck, Vien...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsBrass, Copper
- Authentic Massive Brass Ashtray and Extinguisher by Carl AuböckBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATIn this listing you will find an extremely rare brass ashtray or pipe holder designed by Carl Auböck in 1948. It features beautiful and elegant lines, part of the exquisite craftsman...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsBrass
- Carl Aubock Ashtray and Cigar Extinguisher #3514By Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Chalk Hill, PACarl Aubock ashtray and cigar Extinguisher #3514. This beautiful polished brass ashtray and extinguisher will make the perfect addition to the collection of any cigar aficionado. Des...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- Carl Auböck Magnifier, Austria 1960sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Berlin, DECarl Auböck bowl, Austria 1960s. The measurements given apply to the magnifier. The cover measures 1-7-14cm.Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments
MaterialsHorn, Leather, Glass