Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Austrian
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.
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Creator: Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Carl Auböck Model #4308 Patinated Brass Bowl
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Aubo¨ck Model #4308 patinated brass bowl. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese bowl is executed in polished and darkly patinated brass. Origina...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Model #4057 'Athlete' Brass Sculpture
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck model #4057 'Athlete' brass sculpture. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural figure is executed in polished and patinated brass.
Price is per it...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck #3980-1 Candleholder, Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #3980-1 candleholder, Austria 2022
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Model #7228 Patinated Brass Vase
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck model #7228 patinated brass vase designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese vase is executed in darkly patinated and polished brass by Werkstä...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Pipe Paperweight, Brass, Signed
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.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Model #7228 Polished Brass Vase
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck model #7228 polished brass vase designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese vase is executed in polished and darkly patinated brass by Werkstät...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$620 / item
Carl Auböck Model #7252-1 Polished Brass Fruit Bowl
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #7252-1 polished brass fruit bowl. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese bowl is executed in polish...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$1,231 / item
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Model #3787 Patinated Brass Vase
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #3787 patinated brass vase. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese vase is executed in polished and darkly patinated brass by Werkst...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$663 / item
Carl Auböck Model #8040-2 Patinated Brass Knob
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #8040-2 patinated brass knob.
Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese knob is executed in patinated brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Paperweight #4223 "Hand", Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck paperweight #4223 "Hand", Austria.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Model #4279 Brass Cup
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck model #4279 brass cup. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese cup is executed in patinated brass. Originally conc...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$306 / item
Carl Auböck #4103 Candleholder, Austria, 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #4103 candleholder, Austria 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Model #4082 Brass Bowl
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck model #4082 brass bowl. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese bowl is executed in polished and darkly patinated brass. Originally conceiv...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$337 / item
Carl Auböck #5275 Paperweight "Zumbusch Hand", Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #5275-2 Paperweight "Zumbusch Hand", Austria 2022. Also available in 8cm height for 315,00 € (#5275-1).
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Dust Brush, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Dust Brush, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Wood
Carl Auböck Brush, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Letter brush made of horn and horsehair, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Horn
Grouping of Six Carl Auböck Brass Bookends
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Grouping of six Carl Auböck brass bookends. Includes one pair each of models #4635, #4636 and #4637. Designed in the 1950s, these incredibly...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$1,768 / set
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 pat...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Bowl "Leaf" Small, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck #3632 Watering Can Patinated
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Patinated watering can #3632 by Carl Auböck in brass and cane.
Category
2010s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$2,200 / item
Carl Auböck #4068 Sculpture "Leaning on Treestump", Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #4068 sculpture "Leaning on Treestump", Austria.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
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.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Paperweight "Pipe", Austria, 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck paperweight "pipe" in brass, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Set of Three Carl Auböck Brass Bowls
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Set of three Carl Auböck brass bowls. Includes one each of Models #3904, #3844 & #4082. Designed in the 1950s, these incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese bowls are executed in ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$1,025 / set
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Model #3854 'Atom 2' Brass Vase
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #3854 'Atom 2' brass vase. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural Viennese vase is executed in darkly patinated brass by Werkstätte Carl Aubö...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$766 / item
Carl Auböck #4058 Sculpture "Walking", Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #4058 sculpture "Walking", Austria.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Horn Penrest, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Horn Penrest, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Horn
Carl Auböck #5072-2 Paperweight "Chain", Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
#5072-2 Paperweight in the shape of a chain by Carl Auböck. Made of nickel plated steel. Austria. New.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Steel, Nickel
Carl Auböck Paperweight #5188 "Pipe", Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #5188 paperweight in the shape of a pipe, Austria. New.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Paperweight #4992-3 Safety Pin, Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck paperweight #4992-3 in the shape of a safety pin, Austria.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Box with Comb and a Brush, Austria, 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck brush and comb in a box, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Wood, Horn
Carl Auböck #7211 Letter Opener "Turned", Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #7211 letter opener "Turned", Austria 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Set of Three Combs and a Jar by Carl Auböck, Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Set of three combs and a horn jar by Carl Auböck, New. The measurements given apply to the jar.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Horn
Carl Auböck Glass and Leather Vase, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck vase in glass and leather, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Leather, Glass
Set of Three Combs and a Jar by Carl Auböck, Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Set of three combs and a horn jar by Carl Auböck, New. The measurements given apply to the jar.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Horn
Carl Auböck #4317 Fountainpen Rest, Austria, 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #4317 Fountainpen Rest, Austria, 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Bowl, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck #4366 Sculpture "Bird", Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #4366 sculpture "Bird", Austria.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$739 / item
Carl Auböck Wooden Bowl, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Wooden Bowl, Austria 1960s
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Comb and Brush in a Box, Austria, 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck brush and comb in a box, Austria, 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Horn, Wood
Carl Auböck #3650 Large Fountainpen Rest "Feather", Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Auböck solid patinated brass tray in a feather shape.
.
Category
2010s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Candlestick, Austria, 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck candlestick, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck #3786 "Alert" Vase or Bookend, Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #3786 "Alert" Vase or Bookend, Austria 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck #3789 "Moon" Vase, Austria, 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #3789 "Moon" vase, Austria, 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$1,028 / item
Carl Auböck #7228 Vase with Ring, Austria, 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #7228 Vase with Ring, Austria, 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Coin Tray, Brass, Carl Auböck Vienna, Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
A coin tray made of brass by Carl Auböck.
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Carl Auböck Pair of #3469 Candlesticks, Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Pair of #3469 Candlesticks, Austria 2022. The price is for one pair.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$1,076 / item
Carl Auböck Paperknife with Bookmark #6086
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Brass paperknife with bookmark by Carl Auböck.
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$450 / item
Carl Auböck Brush, Austria 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck Brush, Austria 1960s.
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Wood
Carl Auböck #4273-2 Paperweight "Foot", Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #4273-2 Paperweight "Foot", Austria 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck #3788 "Glove" Vase, Austria, 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #3788 "Glove" vase, Austria, 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
$1,112 / item
Carl Auböck #7240 Vase "Single Noose", Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #7240 Vase "Single Noose", Austria 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass, Wire
Carl Auböck #7231 "Hourglass" Vase, Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #7231 "Hourglass" Vase, Austria 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck #3853 Vase "Double Noose", Austria, 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #3853 vase "Double Noose", Austria, 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass, Wire
Carl Auböck #3544 Pen or Brush Rest in Brass and Brown Leather, Austria, 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck #3544 pen or brush rest in brass and brown leather, Austria 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Carl Auböck Pair of #3470 Candlesticks, Austria 2022
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck pair of #3470 candlesticks, Austria 2022.
Category
2010s Austrian Werkstätte Carl Auböck Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
Werkstätte Carl Auböck decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
Werkstätte Carl Auböck decorative objects are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Werkstätte Carl Auböck decorative objects, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 185 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 220 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original decorative objects by Werkstätte Carl Auböck were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider decorative objects by Walter Bosse, Franz Hagenauer, and Karl Hagenauer. Prices for Werkstätte Carl Auböck decorative objects can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $145 and can go as high as $5,391, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $751.
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