Fish Bottle Opener by Carl Auböck, Stainless Steel and Cane
About the Item
- Creator:Werkstätte Carl Auböck (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 0.5 in (1.27 cm)Width: 9.63 in (24.47 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:very good condtion.
- Seller Location:Kansas City, MO
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1057017303402
Werkstätte Carl Auböck
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Kansas City, MO
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Red Aluminum Ice Bucket, Pear Shaped, by Ettore SottsassBy Ettore SottsassLocated in Kansas City, MORare pear shaped aluminum ice bucket with brass stem designed by Ettore Sottsass, 1950s. No dents or significant scratches. Signs of light wear, wi...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsAluminum, Brass
- Black and White Checkerboard Ice Bucket Attributed to Alexander GirardBy Alexander GirardLocated in Kansas City, MOMid-Century Modern ice bucket attributed to Alexander Girard. Condition is very good and ready to use.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsFabric, Plastic
- Large outdoor/indoor aluminum and stainless steel sculpture by Barbara Sorensen.By Barbara SorensenLocated in Kansas City, MOAbstract outdoor or indoor sculpture by Barbara Sorensen. Made of aluminum and stainless steel. This has been outside for the last 10 years and there is no rust whatsoever. The ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsAluminum, Stainless Steel
- Pair of Dunbar Single Headboards in Walnut and Cane by Edward WormleyBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Kansas City, MOTwo beautifully crafted sculptural single headboards designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, 1950s. These are in very good original condition from the...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsCane, Walnut
- Four Candle Candelabra in Wrought Iron and Cane by Arthur Umanoff, 1950sBy Arthur UmanoffLocated in Kansas City, MOCompletely original four branch table top candelabra / candle holder designed by Arthur Umanoff. Very good original condition. No breaks in the can portion. Some areas of discolorati...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Candelabras
MaterialsIron
- Knoll Barcelona Chairs by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Leather, Stainless SteelBy Knoll, Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Kansas City, MOFour available. Price is for each. Beautiful set of Barcelona Chairs designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and produced by Knoll. Each example i...Category
Early 2000s American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Austrian Midcentury Steel and Leather Fish Bottle Opener by Carl AuböckBy Bestecke Solingen, Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATThis charming fish shaped stainless steel and cognac brown leather bottle opener has been designed by Carl Auböck, Modell Nr. 4687. Produved by Solingen Germany...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Austrian Midcentury Steel and Leather Fish Bottle Opener Neptun by Carl AuböckBy Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Bestecke SolingenLocated in Vienna, ATThis charming fish shaped stainless steel and brown leather bottle opener has been designed by Carl Auböck in the 1960s Modell Nr. 4687, Neptun. It comes with its original cardboard box. This one has been produced in Germany as a special company gift. On the leather you will find impressed Zinkweiss and the steel is marked Solingen Germany...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Carl Auböck Fish Shaped Bottle Opener, Vienna, 1950sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Wien, ATCarl Auböck fish shaped bottle opener, Vienna, 1950s Wood handle Bottle opener model no. 4687 Carl Auböck II.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Carl Auböck Fish Shaped Bottle Opener, Vienna, 1950sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Wien, ATCarl Auböck fish shaped bottle opener, Vienna, 1950s Bottle opener model no. 4687 Carl Auböck II.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Carl Auböck Neptune Fish Bottle Opener, Leather & Steel by Amboss Austria, 1950sBy Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Amboss AustriaLocated in Vienna, ATA beautiful fish-shaped bottle opener, made of stainless steel, covered with dark-brown tan leather. Model #4687, designed in 1995 by Carl Auböck, Vienna. Executed by Amboss Austria....Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Carl Auböck Neptune Fish Bottle Opener, Leather & Steel by Amboss Austria, 1950sBy Amboss Austria, Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATA beautiful fish-shaped mid-century bottle opener, made of stainless steel, covered with dark-brown tan leather. Model #4687, designed in 1995 by Carl Auböck, Vienna. Executed by Amb...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsStainless Steel