Iittala Glassware creamer Ultima Thule by Tapio Wirkkala Scandinavian Modern
By Iittala, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, a creamer from the Ultima Thule glassware collection designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala.
Art Glass
Iittala Ultima Thule 56oz Serving Bowl by Tapio Wirkkala
By Iittala, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
The Ultima Thule bowl creates a striking impact on any table setting.
Glass
Set of Iittala Ultima Thule Bowls 13 Pieces
By Tapio Wirkkala, Iittala
Located in Hillringsberg, SE
A set of total 13 pieces. 12 clear glass serving bowls and one large bowl in the Ultima Thule pattern for Iittala Glass Co, Finland.
Glass
8 Ultima Thule Glasses Designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, Rare
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Doraville, GA
The glass pattern is called Ultima Thule. "The Iittala Ultima Thule glassware was designed by Tapio Wirkkala as part of the Ultima Thule barware collection for Iittala.
Glass
Tapio Wirkkala - Blue Cobalt - Ultima Thule set of 6 Mugs - 1968
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Rio De Janeiro, BR
Designed for Iittala, these mugs are part of the celebrated Ultima Thule collection, originally crafted in 1968.
Glass
Set of 12 iittala Finland "ULTIMA THULE" Whiskey Glasses by Tapio Wirkkala NOS
By Tapio Wirkkala, Iittala
Located in St. Louis, MO
Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985) ULTIMA THULE collection for iittala Finland c. 1968.
Glass
NOS iittala Finland "ULTIMA THULE" Glass Candle Holder in Box by Tapio Wirkkala
By Tapio Wirkkala, Iittala
Located in St. Louis, MO
Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985) ULTIMA THULE collection for iittala Finland c. 1968.
Glass
Modern Ultima Thule Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, Finland 7 Glass Bowls
By Iittala, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Miami, FL
Finnair, the Finnish Airline, used Ultima Thule glassware for their first class service in the 1960s.
Art Glass
7 DESSERT BOWLS iittala ultima thule tapio wirkkala 1960s
By Iittala, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Mannheim, DE
7 'Ultima Thule' dessert bowls designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala in 1968.
Glass
Iittala Ultima Thule Style Wirkkala Clear Ice Glass Set of Nine Serving Bowls
By Iittala, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Beautiful mid century modern set of clear glass serving bowls in an ice pattern similar to Iittala Thule style glassware designed by Tapio Wirkkala. This set consists of a large bowl...
Glass
Pendant by Tapio Wirkkala for Idman Oy, 1960s
By Idman Oy, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Helsinki, Uusimaa
Perhaps the most popular of these is the Ultima Thule series. Wirkkala was a multiple winner of the Milan Triennale.
Metal, Brass
Hammered Silver Bowl by Tapio Wirkkala, TW 243, Finland, 1971, Decorative Bowl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
He also famously designed the Finlandia vodka bottle and Iittala’s Ultima Thule set of kitchen glasses.
Sterling Silver
Pair of K10-11 Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps, Tapio Wirkkala, Idman Oy, 1950s
By Idman Oy, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Helsinki, Uusimaa
Perhaps the most popular of these is the Ultima Thule series. Wirkkala was a multiple winner of the Milan Triennale.
Metal, Brass
Tapio Wirkkala Large Pinja Crystal Vase for Iittala Finland, Scandinavian Modern
By Iittala, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Throughout his legendary career, the uniquely talented artist created more than four hundred glass objects for Iittala, many of which, like the Ultima Thule and Tapio series remain p...
Crystal
The Arctic Edge: Tapio Wirkkala's Sculptural 'Inari' Ice Glass Bowl
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Downingtown, PA
The 'Inari' bowls and similar works like Ultima Thule and Jäänsärö (Iceberg) are often categorized as "Ice Glass" because of the deliberate technique of allowing the molten glass to ...
Glass
1970's Tapio Wirkkala 4 Niva Whiskey glasses + Seita Ice Bucket Iittala Finland
By Tapio Wirkkala, Iittala
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Throughout his legendary career, the uniquely talented artist created more than four hundred glass objects for Iittala, many of which, like the Ultima Thule and Tapio series remain p...
Glass, Art Glass
Tapio Wirkkala 'Crane' Articulating Floor Lamp in White for Innolux Oy
By Innolux Oy, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The glass containers designed by Wirkkala for Iittala, such as the Ultima Thule series, have become particularly well-known.
Aluminum, Brass
Tapio Wirkkala 'Crane' Articulating Floor Lamp in Black for Innolux Oy
By Innolux Oy, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The glass containers designed by Wirkkala for Iittala, such as the Ultima Thule series, have become particularly well-known.
Brass, Aluminum
Tapio Wirkkala 9020 coffee table by Asko Finland 1958
By Asko, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
In the 1940s, he began a long association with the Finnish design company Iittala, creating iconic glassware designs like the Tapio glass series and the Ultima Thule collection. He ...
Glass, Oak
Murano Glass Vase of the Series Pavoni by Tapio Wirkkala for Venini
By Tapio Wirkkala, Venini
Located in Asti, Piemonte
The most striking result was “Ultima Thule”, a nine-metre high “lunar” relief created for the Montreal Expo in 1967.
Murano Glass
Tapio Wirkkala Model "K10-11" Floor Lamp for Idman, Finland 1950s
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Utrecht, NL
The first mass-production glassware range designed by Wirkkala was the Tapio series launched in 1954. The popular Ultima Thule glassware range, created in 1968, was based on the so-c...
Brass
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.