Tapio Wirkkala Fluted Glass Vase 1950's
View Similar Items
Tapio Wirkkala Fluted Glass Vase 1950's
About the Item
- Creator:Rosenthal (Manufacturer),Tapio Wirkkala (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)Diameter: 6 in (15.24 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950s
- Condition:All original great vintage condition. No chips, no cracks. Beautiful color. Great form.
- Seller Location:Rochester, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU961128606262
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.
Rosenthal
While the Rosenthal Porcelain Factory grew from humble decorating roots — as many pottery companies do — it eventually built a list of universally revered designer and artist partners that included Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalí. And after securing an enviable position as a top manufacturer of serveware and dominating the porcelain and bone china markets, Rosenthal expanded into furniture production, working with influential designers Verner Panton, Luigi Colani and Günther Ferdinand Ris and Herbert Selldorf.
German-born Jewish businessman Philipp Rosenthal founded the company in 1879 in Bavaria. It began as his modest workshop where he painted porcelain and encountered success with porcelain ashtrays. Rosenthal hired the best designers and clay modelers he could find. Adolf Oppel designed figurative Art Nouveau pieces, while Eleonore (Lore) Friedrich-Gronau produced decorative objects, namely her graceful porcelain dancer figurines, for the company.
Dinnerware, though, would be a Rosenthal mainstay. Between 1904 and 1910, Rosenthal produced its renowned dinnerware lines such as Donatello, Darmstadt and Isolde. These were introduced as unornamented white pieces — only later were they given their underglaze designs.
Rosenthal founder Philipp, a Catholic of Jewish ancestry, resigned in 1934 as the company’s president due to pressures owing to discriminatory German laws that took shape during the rise of the Nazi regime. Rosenthal died in 1937, and the family fled to America. The company would not regain its footing until 1950 when Rosenthal’s son, Philip, joined the firm and, in 1958, became chairman and dubbed Germany’s “China King.” At its peak, the company had 10,000 employees.
In the 1950s, Rosenthal’s modernist dinnerware was a significant part of the brand’s offerings, and by 1961 they introduced the famed Rosenthal Studio Line. Although furniture designers and ceramicists would lead the list of individuals working with Rosenthal — among them Tapio Wirkkala, Max Weber and Lisa Larson — the company eventually reached out to fine artists, not only Dalí and Warhol but Sandro Chia and Kenny Scharf. Rosenthal also collaborated with fashion designers Gianni Versace and Donatella Versace.
In a daring move in 1972, the company diversified into furniture, collaborating with some of the giants of mid-century modern design. The revolutionary Sunball chair, an icon of Space Age seating crafted by Selldorf and Ris, was among Rosenthal’s stellar successes in this venture.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Rosenthal ceramics, porcelain, tableware, seating and more.
- Fluted Copper Vase - Chase Brass and Copper Company, 1930'sBy Chase Brass and Copper CompanyLocated in Rochester, NYAmerican Art Deco fluted copper vase with flared rim in aged oxidized verdigris patina. Chase Brass and Copper Company ( signed w/ logo on underside ) Circa 1930's. Measures 5 1/2" h...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Vases
MaterialsCopper
- Large Architectural Fiberglass VesselsLocated in Rochester, NYA great looking pair of large-scale architectural fiberglass resin vessels with two platform pedestals in persimmon red in color. For decorative interior / exterior garden / prop p...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsFiberglass, Resin
$1,750 / set - Antique American Architectural Fluted Wood ColumnsLocated in Rochester, NYA near pair of American classical architectural fluted wood columns in beautifully aged original soft crisp cream white painted surface. The circular wood bases are not exactly the same. Taller column with the 16" wide lower round base section at the bottom measures 85" high / the shorter column...Category
Early 20th Century American American Classical Pedestals and Columns
MaterialsWood
- Antique Parquetry Inlaid Compass Design Top Table w/ Fluted Pedestal BaseLocated in Rochester, NYAntique parquetry inlaid circular top table with a bold compass design and beautifully aged contrasting wood veneers on an associated fluted baluster pedestal base. Measures 23 1/2" ...Category
Antique 19th Century Tables
MaterialsWood
- Ib Kofod-Larsen Peacock Chair Selig Denmark, 1950-1960By Ib Kofod-Larsen, SeligLocated in Rochester, NYIb Kofod-Larsen Peacock walnut spindle back hoop style chair manufactured by Selig, circa 1950-1960. Look at all pictures and read condition report in comment section**** HAND DELIVE...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Tolkienesque Painting, Circa 1950-1960Located in Rochester, NYTolkienesque fantasy water color painting on paper of young wizard holding an owl head staff standing on a globe w/ stars and moons Artist signed W. Circ...Category
Mid-20th Century Paintings
MaterialsGlass, Giltwood, Paint, Paper
- Tapio Wirkkala Mid-Century Modernist "Pallas" Art Glass VaseBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Downingtown, PATapio Wirkkala Mid-Century Modernist "Pallas" art glass vase, 1984-95 From a collection of Wirkkala glass vessels-ask for details. Impressive Mid-Century still-molded vase cast ...Category
Late 20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass
- Tapio Wirkkala Iittala Finnish Modernist Kanttarelli VaseBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Palm Springs, CAIittala Kanttarelli vase designed by Tapio Wirkkala. Vase measures 5" by 4.5" and is signed on the bottom Tapio Wirkkala, Iitala. In very good vintage condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsGlass
$600 Sale Price20% Off - Kantarelli Art Glass Vase by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, 1951By Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated in Berghuelen, DEKantarelli Art glass vase by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, 1951 A large vintage 'Kantarelli' (chantertelle) vase designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala Glassworks in 1951. Mold blown ...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass
- Vintage Art Glass Vase by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, 1954By Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated in Berghuelen, DEVintage Art glass vase by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala 1954 A large vintage art glass vase designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala Glassworks in ...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass
- Vintage Art Glass Vase by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala 1967By Iittala, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Berghuelen, DEVintage Art glass vase by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala 1967 A large vintage art glass vase designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala Glassworks in ...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass
- Tapio Wirkkala Vintage Blue and Transparent Glass Vase for VeniniBy Venini, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Milano, ITSplendid glass vase designed by Tapio Wirkkala for the prestigious Italian manufacturer Venini. The designer's signature is clearly visible on the bottom. The vase has a very simple...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass