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.
Carl Auböck '4723' Patinated Brass Plug-In Wall Light With White Shade
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Carl Auböck '4723' Patinated Brass Plug-In Wall Light With White Shade. Designed in 1950, this versatile and minimalist Viennese lamp is executed in brass with a cast iron base and ...
Brass
Large Carl Aubock Model #7253 'Electric' Patinated Brass Wall Lamp
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large Carl Aubock Model #7253 'Electric' Patinated Brass Wall Lamp. Designed by Carl Auböck IV and hand fabricated in the original Auböck Werkstätte in the 7th district of Vienna e...
Brass
Patinated Brass Wall Sconces by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Pair of wall lamps by Carl Auböck, New. Socket: 2x E14. Please note: Lamp should be fitted professionally in accordance to local requirements.
Brass
$2,560 / item
Large Carl Auböck 'Vice Versa' Wall Lamp
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large Carl Auböck 'Vice Versa' wall lamp. A newly designed variant exclusive to Two Enlighten based on the iconic Vice Versa table and floor lamp series d...
Brass
Carl Auböck '4723' Polished Brass Plug-In Wall Light with White Shade
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Carl Aubock '4723' Polished Brass Plug-in Wall Light with White Shade. Designed in 1950, this versatile and minimalist Viennese lamp is executed in choice of polished or patinated b...
Brass
Mid-Century Modern Design Brass Vases by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
Pair of Carl Auböck #7247 vases on pedestal in polished brass and patinated brass. Also available in a smaller size.
Brass
$1,400
H 13 in W 9 in D 2 in
Scandinavian Modern Glass and Brass Wall Sconce by Carl Fagerlund for Orrefors
By Orrefors, Carl Fagerlund
Located in New York, NY
A clear translucent textured art glass wall sconce with brass hardware, Scandinavian Modern/Midcentury Modern period, by Carl Fagerlund for Orrefors, circa mid-20th century, Sweden. ...
Brass
$880Sale Price|20% Off
H 11.25 in W 6 in D 3 in
Mid-Century Modern Style Brass Diamond Design Wall Sconce, a Pair
Located in Plainview, NY
A beautiful pair of Mid-Century Modern style wall sconces. The pair of sconce are handmade of high quality brass in a semi cylindrical shape. ...
Brass
Carl Auböck 'Nun' Floor Lamp in Brass
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Carl Auböck 'Nun' floor lamp in brass. Designed in 1950, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese lamps is executed in brass with a cast brass base and sc...
Brass, Iron
$3,390Sale Price|20% Off
H 10.24 in Dm 15.75 in
Midcentury Italian Brass Adjustable Wall Light, Parchment Shade, 1960s
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Midcentury italian brass adjustable wall light with original parchment lampshade. Good vintage condition. Little damages on the sha...
Brass
Scandinavian Wall Light in Patinated Copper
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Wall light, copper, Scandinavia, 1960s A stunning and well-executed wall light of the 1960s made in Scandinavia. The manufacturer used copper for this specific design that obtained ...
Copper
Patinated Brass Sconces by Robert Stilin
Located in New York City, NY
Priced Individually. Lead time is 6-8 weeks. Patinates beautifully with time. Can be made in nickel, patinated brass, and lacquered brass.
Brass
Thew Brushed Brass Wall Light with Ochre Glass Shade by Artig
Located in New York City, NY
This brass wall lamp is part of the Thew family - strong, sturdy, modern yet classically trained in the ethos of early 20th-century design. Made of hand-brushed brass with an ochre glass shade that gives off a warm translucent glow. Thew can live perfectly in your built-ins, hallway, or over your bedside table. -Brass E26 socket. 4.5W dimmable LED bulb included. -Choose wiring: hardwire or plugin -Choose cord color: off white, dark green, brown or custom color -Choose wire side: Left-side (facing), Right-side (facing) All Artig Lighting...
Brass
Prof. Carl Moor for BAG Turgi Brass & Perforated Metal Wall Lamp
By BAG Turgi
Located in Hanover, MA
Seldom seen single brass sconce with perforated and enameled metal curved shade designed by Prof. Carl Moor for BAG Turgi, Switzerland. Takes E17 intermediate Edison base light bulb up to 75 watts. Comes with the original white painted wood mounting disk that the brass backplate slips over and is secured by three brass screws. BAG Turgi produced several versions of this model, some without the brass trim along the edge of the perforated shield shade, solid brass shield shade with pin holes and enameled steel shield...
Brass, Steel
$3,515 / item
H 12.63 in W 7 in D 5.5 in
Series03 Wall Sconce, Dark Patinated Brass, Goatskin Parchment Shade
By Adam Otlewski
Located in Ozone Park, NY
Sculpted solid brass in a dark patinated finish, machined and mechanically fastened. Goatskin parchment shade with accordion-folded face and h...
Brass
Modern wall lights cocotte patinated brass
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
These sconces feature a solid brass structure and shade, with a gunmetal-like patina (slight shades of patina may occur depending on the bath). The shade is mounted on a decorative b...
Brass
Werkstätte Carl Auböck 'Nun' Brass Table Lamp With Paper Shade
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Werkstätte Carl Auböck 'Nun' brass table lamp with paper shade. Designed in 1950, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese lamps is executed in brass wit...
Brass, Iron
Brass Shell Wall Sconce, Vintage Lighting, Plug-in Design, 1960s
Located in Douglas Manor, NY
1475 Single brass shell wall sconce
Brass
Pair of Model 7253 'Electric' Sconces by Carl Auböck
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Model 7253 'Electric' Sconces by Carl Auböck. Large Carl Aubock Model #7253 'Electric' Patinated Brass Wall Lamp. Designed by Carl Auböck IV and hand fabricated in the original Auböc...
Brass, Steel