Leaf Bowls by Tapio Wirkkala
View Similar Items
Leaf Bowls by Tapio Wirkkala
About the Item
- Creator:Tapio Wirkkala (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1 in (2.54 cm)Width: 11 in (27.94 cm)Depth: 9 in (22.86 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Sagaponack, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 7035.0011stDibs: LU8903794193
Tapio Wirkkala
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.
- Chairs by Tapio WirkkalaBy Tapio Wirkkala, AskoLocated in Sagaponack, NYA side chair with a warm-toned undulating laminated teak seat on a chromed steel base.Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$2,800 / item - Modernist Bowl by Tapio WirkkalaBy Kultakeskus Oy, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn impeccably crafted sculptural small bowl having a bold asymmetrical form and rendered in warmly patinated copper.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsCopper
- Carving Knife by Tapio WirkkalaBy Hackman, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Sagaponack, NYA carving knife in brushed steel having a stained oak handle attached to the blade by wooden pegs. A silver tag on the handle documents the materials came from the Swedish ship...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
MaterialsSteel
- Glass Bowl Tapio WirkkalaBy Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated in Sagaponack, NYA beautifully executed vessel or ice bowl in the form of a drinking glass having an organic free-form base evocative of winter ice.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Barware
- Modernist Medallion by Tapio WirkkalaBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Sagaponack, NYA rare two-sided medallion in copper having abstracted and geometric decoration, housed in a rosewood and copper presentation case.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
MaterialsCopper, Bronze
- 1970s German Extra Large Paper Bag Vase by Tapio Wirkkala for RosenthalBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Sagaponack, NYPaper or plastic or…Wirkkala’s fun and whimsical 1977 Pop Art take on tromp l’oeil, something that is not what it appears to be. Here, a used paper bag ...Category
Vintage 1970s German Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
- Tapio Wirkkala Line Cut Leaf Art Glass Objects/Bowls, SignedBy Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated in East Hampton, NYThis lovely and signed set of four glass pieces produced by Iittala in line cut engraved forms. Three of the larger bowls have full and distinct signatures along the edges. These exq...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Desk Sets
MaterialsGlass
- Tapio Wirkkala's TW 476 Bowl in BronzeBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Toronto, OntarioA terrific handmade Bronze bowl for Kultakeskus Oy. These bowls are custom ordered and hand hammered to shape. An exceptional piece. Executed in 1974.Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Desk Accessories
MaterialsBronze
- Bronze bowls by Tapio Wirkkala Models 446-448By Kultakeskus Oy, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Helsinki, FITapio Wirkkala designed a large number of items fo Kultakeskus OY. Materials ranged from silver to bronze and other metals. This particular model was introduced in 1971 in a number ...Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsBronze
- 1960s Vase, Tapio Wirkkala for Venini Attributed, Lattimo Murano GlassBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Vigonza, PaduaMid-Century Modern Murano vase, Tapio Wirkkala for Venini attributed, lattimo Murano glass decorated About: Designed in 1968 by Tapio Wirkkala, these b...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Shocking Pink Paperweight Art Glass Egg Controlled Bubble Tapio Wirkkala StyleBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Chula Vista, CAShocking pink paperweight Tapio Wirkkala style controlled bubble art glass decorative egg design signed 1990 Unable to read signature Attributed to ...Category
1990s Unknown Modern Paperweights
MaterialsArt Glass
- A Tapio Wirkkala Rhythmic Veneer Leaf Dish, 1950sBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Helsinki, FIIn most if not all of his designs, Tapio Wirkkala took his inspiration from the surrounding nature. This is one example with a beautiful figurative sculptural "leaf". The way it's re...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBirch