Tapio Wirkkala Tea Set for Rosenthal Series Noire
About the Item
- Creator:Tapio Wirkkala (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 5.91 in (15 cm)Width: 7.88 in (20 cm)Depth: 5.91 in (15 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 17
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Berlin, DE
- Reference Number:Seller: cc.joe1stDibs: LU9401237444152
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
Vintage 1960s German Scandinavian Modern Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Tea Sets
Ceramic
20th Century German Scandinavian Modern Porcelain
Porcelain
20th Century German Scandinavian Modern Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1980s German Modern Tableware
Porcelain
Late 20th Century German Scandinavian Modern Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1970s German Post-Modern Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1970s German Modern Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
Porcelain
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vases
Ceramic
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Walnut
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rush, Beech
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Lucite
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Oak
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
