Pendant by Tapio Wirkkala for Idman Oy, 1960s

About the Item

Pendant by Tapio Wirkkala for Idmann Oy, 1960s. Classic Wirkkala glass bulbs, painted metal and brass. Good vintage condition, minor patina consistent with age and use. Tapio Veli Ilmari Wirkkala was a Finnish designer and sculptor. Wirkkala is considered a leading figure in the modern Finnish art industry. The post-war golden age of the Finnish art industry up to the 1960s has been called the 'Wirkkala period'. Wirkkala designed several classic objects, such as the Kantarelli vase. The glassware that Wirkkala designed for Iittala has become particularly famous. Perhaps the most popular of these is the Ultima Thule series. Wirkkala was a multiple winner of the Milan Triennale.

Creator:

Tapio Wirkkala (Designer),Idman Oy (Manufacturer)

Dimensions:

Height: 46.46 in (118 cm)Width: 11.82 in (30 cm)Depth: 3.15 in (8 cm)

Power Source:

Hardwired

Lampshade:

Included

Style:

Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Brass,Glass,Metal,Painted

Place of Origin:

Finland

Period:

1960-1969

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1960

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Good vintage condition, minor patina consistent with age and use.

Seller Location:

Helsinki, FI

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU7495237655132

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Shop All Tapio Wirkkala

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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