Tapio Wirkkala 'Jäävuori' Iceberg Vase, Model No. 3794, 1955
About the Item
- Creator:Tapio Wirkkala (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 8.27 in (21 cm)Width: 7.88 in (20 cm)Depth: 7.09 in (18 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1955
- Condition:Several minor scratches at the bottom, as one would expect from a 60 year old carefully handled glass piece.
- Seller Location:Dronten, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU93146308603
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.
You May Also Like
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Crystal
1990s Finnish Post-Modern Vases
Glass
20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vases
Glass
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
Murano Glass, Murrine
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bottles
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Post-Modern Vases
Ceramic
Vintage 1980s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Murano Glass
