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.
$675Sale Price|55% Off
Brass Pipe Paperweight by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria, 1955
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in New York, NY
Carl Auböck Pipe Paperweight, Brass, Signed. Small scale meticulously detailed brass pipe paperweight by Viennese designer Carl Auböck.
Brass
Carl Auböck Model #4965 Large Polished Brass Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #4965 Large Polished Brass Hook Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese hook is executed in polished brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria...
Brass
$420 / item
Carl Auböck Model #4086 Patinated Brass Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #4086 Patinated Brass Hook Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese hook is executed in polished and patinated brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck...
Brass
Carl Auböck Model #4280 Bowl in Patinated Brass
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck model #4280 bowl in patinated brass. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese bowl is executed in patinated brass. Originally conceived as a petite bowl...
Brass
$370 / item
Carl Auböck Model #4056 Polished Brass Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #4056 Polished Brass Hook Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese candleholder is executed in polished brass by Wer...
Brass
$430 / item
Carl Auböck Model #4329 Polished Nickel Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #4329 Polished Nickel Hook. Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and minimalist midcentury wall hook is executed in choice of patinated brass, polished brass, or ...
Nickel, Brass
Pair of Carl Auböck Model #4637 Brass Bookends
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Pair of Carl Auböck Model #4637 Brass Bookends Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural pair of bookends are executed in patinated and polished brass. Each piec...
Brass
Austrian Midcentury Brass Watering Can by Carl Auböck
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
This fantastic Large Mod. 4118 brass watering can was designed in the 1940s and manufactured in polished brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck in Vienna, Austria in the 1950s. Carl Auböck'...
Brass
Original Carl Auböck Decorative Brass Dish in the Shape of a Leaf
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
For sale is a beautiful decorative dish in the shape of a leaf. It was hand-crafted from brass and designed by the renowned workshops of Carl Auböck in Austria. It is a perfect examp...
Brass
Carl Auböck Model #4483 Patinated Brass Triangle Dish
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #4483 Patinated Brass Triangle Dish Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese bowl is executed in polishe...
Brass
Carl Auböck Model #4629 'Stufenuhr' Brass Wall Clock
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #4629 'Stufenuhr' Brass Wall Clock Originally designed in the late 1960s by Carl Auböck III, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese wall clock is executed...
Brass
$2,638Sale Price|20% Off
Large Teak Bowl with Brass and Leather Handle by Carl Auböck, Austria, 1950s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: Teak bowl, shell element Design: Carl Auböck, 1950s Producer: Auböck Workshop Vienna, Austria Origin: Austria Age: 1950s Description: Original 1950s bowl...
Brass
$430 / item
Carl Auböck Model #3904 Brass Bowl
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #3904 Brass Bowl Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese bowl is executed in polished and darkly patinated brass. Originally conceiv...
Brass
Carl Aubock Patinated Brass "Walking" Figural Sculpture #4058
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Chalk Hill, PA
Carl Aubock Patinated Brass "Walking" Figural Sculpture #4058 designed in the 1950's. Currently produced by Carl Auböck IV in the original Auböck workshop in Vienna, Austria using th...
Brass
Large glass decanter element with leather Handle by Carl Auböck, Austria, 1950s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: decanter element Design: Carl Auböck, 1950s Producer: Auböck Workshop Vienna, Austria Origin: Austria Age: 1950s Description: Original 1950s decanter ele...
Leather, Glass
$350 / item
Carl Auböck Model #4327 Patinated Brass Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #4327 Patinated Brass Hook Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and minimalist Viennese hook is executed in patinated and polished brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck...
Brass, Nickel
$420 / item
Carl Auböck Model #5261 Hook in Nickel
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck model #5261 hook in nickel. Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese hook is executed in softly brushed nickel by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria. ...
Nickel
A Pair Of Original Carl Auböck Brass Candlesticks Ca' 1950's
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
An unusual pair of brass candlesticks by Carl Aubock, Austria, ca' 1950's. Model 3600. A great modernist design that has been reissued-these are the original production.
Brass
$297Sale Price|63% Off
Austrian Midcentury Horn Matchbox Holder by Carl Auböck
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
Minimalistic and pure shaped desk accessories, iconic for its Designer Carl Auböck and in excellent condition.
Horn
Carl Aubock Patinated Brass "Leaning on Tree Stump Figural Sculpture #4068
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Chalk Hill, PA
Carl Aubock Patinated Brass "Leaning on Tree Stump Figural Sculpture #4068 designed in the 1950's. Produced by Carl Auböck IV in the original Auböck workshop in Vienna, Austria using...
Brass
Carl Aubock Vintage Zebra Dinner Bell #3604, Paperweight, Vienna, 1950s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
A captivating, partly patinated mid-century table or dinner bell from the 1950s. Model #3604 „Zebra", designed and handcrafted by Werkstätte Carl Aubock in Vienna, Austria, this piec...
Metal, Brass
$350 / item
Carl Auböck Model #4327 Polished Brass Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #4327 Polished Brass Hook Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and minimalist Viennese hook is executed in polished brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria. Pro...
Brass, Nickel
Pair of Carl Auböck Model #3652 Brass Bookends
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Pair of Carl Auböck model #3652 brass bookends. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural pair of bookends are executed in patinated and polished brass. Each pie...
Brass
$420 / item
Carl Auböck Model #9040 Knob in Nickel
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #9040 Knob in Nickel Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese knob is executed in softly brushed nickel by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria. It...
Nickel
Pair of Large Carl Auböck Model #4219 'Hands' Brass Bookends
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Pair of Large Carl Auböck Model #4219 'Hands' Brass Bookends. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural pair of bookends are executed in polished brass. Hand fu...
Brass
Brass Leaf Bowl / Dish by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Small sculptural brass bowl by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Vienna, designed in an organic leaf-like form with softly folded edges and asymmetrical silhouette. The interior features a s...
Brass
$433 / item
Carl Auböck Model #9040 Patinated Brass Knob
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #9040 Patinated Brass Knob Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese knob is executed in darkly patinated brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Aust...
Brass
$460 / item
Carl Auböck Model #4965 Patinated Brass Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck #4965 patinated brass hook. Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese hook is executed in darkly patinated and polished brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböc...
Brass
$430 / item
Carl Auböck Model #3979 Patinated Brass Bowl
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #3979 patinated brass bowl. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese bowl is executed in polished and darkly patinated brass. Origin...
Brass
$350 / item
Carl Auböck Model #5261 Polished Brass Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #5261 Polished Brass Hook Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese hook is executed in polished brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria. Pr...
Brass
$470 / item
Carl Auböck Model #5439 Patinated Brass Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #5439 Patinated Brass Hook Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese hook is executed in darkly patinated and polished brass by Werkstätte Carl...
Brass
Carl Auböck Paperweight #4751-1 Paperclip, Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Huge #4751-1 paperweight in the shape of a paperclip, Austria. New.
Brass
$510 / item
Carl Auböck Model #5439 Hook in Nickel
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #5439 Hook in Nickel Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese hook is executed in softly brushed nickel by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria. P...
Nickel
$580 / item
Carl Auböck Model #3548 Patinated Brass Bowl
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Aubo¨ck Model #3548 patinated brass bowl. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese bowl is executed in polished and darkly patinated brass. Origi...
Brass
Mid-Century Modern Austrian Leather "Hausbuch" (Guest Book/Ledger) Carl Auböck
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
An exceptional "Hausbuch" (House Ledger or Guest Book) designed by Carl Auböck II and produced in the renowned Auböck workshop in Vienna, Austria. This piece, model number 5116, is a...
Brass
$1,090 / item
Carl Auböck Model #4276 'Single Flower' Brass Vase
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck model #4276 'Single Flower' brass vase. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese vase is executed in darkly p...
Brass
Carl Auböck Paperweight #5378-1 "Razor Blade", Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Brass paperweight #5378-1 in the shape of a razor blade by Carl Auböck, New.
Brass
Carl Auböck #4233-2 Brass and Cane Letter Opener, Mid-Century Modern
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #4233-2 Letter Opener, Austria 2022.
Brass
$1,350 / set
Set of Three Bowls by Carl Auböck
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Set of three bowls by Carl Auböck #4279, #4280 and #4317 Measures: 28 cm x 5 cm x 3 cm 8 cm x 6 cm x 3 cm 4 cm x 7 cm diameter.
Brass
$420 / item
Carl Auböck Model #5439 Large Brass Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #5439 Large Brass Hook Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese candleholder is executed in polished brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria....
Brass
Box made of Wood, Brass and Cork by Werkstätte Carl Auböck Austria, 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Small box by Werkstätten Carl Auböck with curved wooden lid and brass body, lined with cork inside. The design combines a warm wood surface with brushed brass sides, creating the ch...
Brass
Carl Auböck #4059 Optimist Pessimist Sculpture, Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck sculpture #4059 "Optimist Pessimist" in patinated brass, Austria. New.
Brass
Carl Auböck Dust Brush, Wood, Mid-Century Modern, Austria, 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Dust Brush, Austria 1960s.
Wood
Carl Auböck #3787 "See through" Vase, Austria, 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #3787 "See through" vase, Austria, 2022.
Brass
$636Sale Price / item|20% Off
Carl Auböck Model #3794 'Aorta' Brass Vase
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Chalk Hill, PA
Carl Aubo¨ck Model #3794 'Aorta' Brass Vase. This exceptionally crafted vase by Carl Aubock is a wonderful example of the marriage of form and functionality that has made the Aubock ...
Brass
Leaf-shaped brass Bowl with dark Patina by Werkstätte Carl Auböck 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s.
Brass
Carl Aubock Patinated Brass "Aorta" Vase #3794 S
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Chalk Hill, PA
Carl Aubock patinated brass "Aorta" Mid-Century Modern vase #3794 S. Produced by Carl Auböck IV in the original Auböck workshop in Vienna, Austria using the same standards, high-qual...
Brass
Hourglass Vase by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Patinated Brass, 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #7231 "Hourglass" Vase, Austria 2022.
Brass
Carl Auböck #5072-1 Paperweight "Chain", Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
#5072-1 Paperweight in the shape of a chain by Carl Auböck. Made of gold plated steel. Austria. New.
Gold Plate, Steel
Carl Aubock Patinated Brass "Optimist" Sculpture #4049
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Chalk Hill, PA
Carl Aubock Patinated Brass "Optimist" Sculpture #4049. Produced by Carl Auböck IV in the original Auböck workshop in Vienna, Austria using the same standards, high-quality materials...
Brass
$5,995 / set
Carl Auböck Bookends
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare pair of bookends designed by Carl Auböck.
Brass
very rare double box by carl auböck
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Munich, DE
another very rare piece from the auböck workshop.
Metal
Mid-Century Carl Auböck Black Leather & Brass Wastepaper Basket, Austria, 1950s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful and elegant, vintage Mid-Century Modern paper basket / paper bin from the 1950s. Designed an executed by Werkstätte Carl Aubock, Vienna / Austria. Handmade and hand-sewn ...
Brass
Rare No.A-436 bowl by Carl Auböck
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Munich, DE
flawless carl auböck wood bowl.
Brass
Rare Mid-Century Modern Leather Waste Bin by Carl Auböck III
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
This exceptional leather wastepaper bin is a quintessential example of the "tactile modernism" that defined the Werkstätte Auböck in Vienna during the mid-20th century. Designed by C...
Leather
$440 / item
Carl Auböck Model #4982 Hook in Nickel
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck model #4982 hook in nickel. Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and minimalist Viennese hook is executed in softly brushed nickel by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria. ...
Nickel
$420 / item
Carl Auböck Model #4327 Nickel-Plated Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #4327 Nickel-Plated Hook Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and minimalist Viennese hook is executed in nickel-plated brass by Werkst...
Brass, Nickel
Pair of Carl Auböck Patinated Brass Candle Holders
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Utrecht, NL
Pair of patinated candle holders designed by Carl Aubock in 1948. This signature piece from the Auböck collection is hand made manufactured in Vienna Austria workshop ever since 1948...
Brass
$1,880 / set
Set of Four Carl Auböck Brass Objects
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Set of four Carl Auböck brass objects. Includes Carl Auböck model #4072/G 'Rooster' brass bell, model #3600 'Crown' brass bowl, model #3514 brass bowl and model #4224 'Hand' brass ...
Brass
Collar Vase by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Polished Brass, Austria, 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #3975 "Collar" vase, Austria, 2022.
Brass