Porcelain Service by Tapio Wirkkala
View Similar Items
Porcelain Service by Tapio Wirkkala
About the Item
- Creator:Tapio Wirkkala (Designer),Rosenthal Netter (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1 in (2.54 cm)Width: 1 in (2.54 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Sagaponack, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 11239.0011stDibs: LU89031704362
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.
- Carving Knife by Tapio WirkkalaBy Tapio Wirkkala, HackmanLocated 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
- Chairs by Tapio WirkkalaBy Asko, Tapio WirkkalaLocated 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
- Glass Bowl Tapio WirkkalaBy Iittala, Tapio WirkkalaLocated 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 Coffee Tea Service for HopeakeskusBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Houston, TXTapio Wirkkala. Coffee service TW 182-184, Finland, 1958, Hopeakeskus, copper, teak and inside silver plate. Measures: 5 D x 20.5 H in. 12.7 D x 52.07 H cm. Coffee pot, ...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Tea Sets
MaterialsCopper, Silver Plate
- Set of Serving Cutlery Designed by Tapio Wirkkala, Finland, 1950sBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Stockholm, SESet of serving cutlery designed by Tapio Wirkkala, Finland, 1950s. A set of serving spoons and olive forks. Measures: Forks: L 26 cm/ 10 1/8" Spoons...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
MaterialsWood
- T. Wirkkala for Rosenthal Studio-Line Porcelain Noire, Six Person Mocha ServiceBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Copenhagen, DKTapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal Studio-line porcelain noire, six person mocha service in black and white porcelain, modern design, fluted. Designed in 1962. Consisting of six mocha cups with saucers, sugar bowl, creamer and mocha jug...Category
20th Century German Scandinavian Modern Tableware
$672 Sale Price / set20% Off - Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal Porcelain Tea SetsBy Rosenthal Netter, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Milano, ITRosenthal tea sets made of porcelain designed by Tapio Wirkkala represent the best combination of modern and traditional design. Created in 1969, Ros...Category
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Tea Sets
MaterialsCeramic
$1,429 / set - Tapio Wirkkala Rosenthal Studio-Line White Variations Cups, Set of 6By Rosenthal, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in New York, NYA set of 6 (six) Tapio Wirkkala Rosenthal Studio-line porcelain cups in the variations pattern. Signed. White porcelain with a ribbed design. Dimensions: 2-1/4 inches H x 3-...Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern More Dining and Entertaining
MaterialsCeramic, Porcelain
- Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal Flatware, Extensive 92 Piece SetBy Rosenthal, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Atlanta, GAModernist stainless steel flatware set, designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal, Austria, circa 1963. This is a large set containing 92 pieces total. They are constructed of dishwas...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsStainless Steel