Wirkkala Kantarelli
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Glass
Art Glass
20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Blown Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
20th Century Books
Paper
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Birch
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Wood
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Glass
Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
Aluminum, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
Brass, Aluminum
Vintage 1950s Table Lamps
Glass, Wood
Vintage 1970s Finnish Art Deco Glass
Art Glass
Vintage 1970s Finnish Art Deco Glass
Art Glass
People Also Browsed
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Tea Sets
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Glass
Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Glass
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern More Dining and Entertaining
Enamel, Steel
Mid-20th Century Black Forest Ceramics
Metal
Mid-20th Century Finnish Barware
Glass
20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Glass, Sommerso, Blown Glass, Art Glass
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Glass
Glass
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Glass
Glass
1940s American Realist Figurative Prints
Offset
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Crystal Serveware
Glass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Murano Glass, Art Glass
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Glass
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Belgian Signs
Metal
Recent Sales
20th Century Finnish Vases
Vintage 1940s Finnish Vases
Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Blown Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Glass
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Glass
Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Crystal
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Crystal
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Birch, Plywood
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Glass
Glass, Art Glass
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Jars
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Glass
Crystal
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Serving Bowls
Glass
Wirkkala Kantarelli For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Wirkkala Kantarelli?
Tapio Wirkkala for sale on 1stDibs
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.