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4 Iittala of Finland Aslak Tapio Wirkkala Beer Glasses New in Box 60's VW Promo

About the Item

Rare set of 4 original iittala of Finland Aslak 14 1/2 ounce tall beer glasses. and date from the 1960's. These are new old stock and have never been used. They come in the original box and still has the original stickers on each glass. Designed by Tapio Wirkkala. The glasses each have a "VW" Volkswagen logo acid etched on the bottom. I am assuming these glasses were made for the VW company as a promotion or to be used at their headquarters. The glasses have a wonderful form and design. Each glass is in mint unused condition. No chips, no nicks and no cracks. The box has wear from age as seen in the photos. Each glass measures approx. 5 1/2" tall by 3 1/8" wide. Very rare unused new old stock set.

Creator:

Iittala (Maker),Tapio Wirkkala (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 5.5 in (13.97 cm)Width: 3 in (7.62 cm)Depth: 3 in (7.62 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Glass

Place of Origin:

Finland

Period:

Mid-20th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1960's

Condition:

Seller Location:

San Diego, CA

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU887836181602

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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.

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