Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
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.
1950s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Silver
1960s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Silver
Late 20th Century Finnish Modernist Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Modernist Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Bronze, Gold
1950s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Silver
1960s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Silver
1960s Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Silver
Mid-20th Century Modernist Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Silver
1950s Finnish Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Sterling Silver, Silver
1960s Finnish Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Finnish Modern Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Silver
Late 20th Century Finnish Modern Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Silver, Copper
Late 20th Century Finnish Modern Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Sterling Silver, Silver
1770s English George III Antique Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Silver
1930s British Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Sterling Silver
1980s Italian Retro Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1910s British Edwardian Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Silver
2010s Belgian Modern Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1890s British Antique Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Revival Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
Mid-18th Century British Georgian Antique Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Sterling Silver
1750s British Antique Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Sterling Silver
19th Century French Antique Tapio Wirkkala Silver, Flatware and Silverplate
Bronze