Petite Sommerso Vase by Tapio Wirkkala
View Similar Items
Petite Sommerso Vase by Tapio Wirkkala
About the Item
- Creator:Tapio Wirkkala (Designer),Iittala (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 3 in (7.62 cm)Diameter: 2.25 in (5.72 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Sagaponack, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 11081.0011stDibs: LU89031405232
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.
- Glass Bowl Tapio WirkkalaBy Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated 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
- 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
- Chairs by Tapio WirkkalaBy Tapio Wirkkala, AskoLocated 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 Tapio Wirkkala, Kultakeskus OyLocated 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
- 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
- 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
- Tapio Wirkkala Ovalis Glass VaseBy Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated in Ferndale, MITapio Wirkkala Ovalis 3036 vase for Iittala, Finland. A little later production as it is stamped on underside.Category
20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Tapio Wirkkala, Sizeable Vase, Glass, Finland, 1950sBy Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated in High Point, NCA sizeable cut and polished glass vase designed by Tapio Wirkkala and produced by Iittala, Finland, 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass
- Tapio Wirkkala, Vase, Glass, Finland, 1950sBy Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated in High Point, NCA blown glass vase designed by Tapio Wirkkala and produced by Ittala, Finland, 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Tapio Wirkkala, Vase, Glass, Finland, 1960sBy Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated in High Point, NCA blown glass vase designed by Tapio Wirkkala, and produced by Iittala, Finland, 1960sCategory
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass
- Vase 'Niva' by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, Finland 1970sBy Tapio Wirkkala, IittalaLocated in Berghuelen, DEVase 'Niva' by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, Finland 1970s A vintage 'Niva' (Rushing stream) vase designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala Glassworks in 1973. Mold blown crystal clear g...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass
- 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