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About the Item
AMBIANIC presents
1970s Scandinavian Iittala Crystal Vase Art Glass
Tapio Wirkkala Finland
IIttala Pinus Pattern Glass Ice Vase.
6.5 x 4.5 x 4 d
Preowned vintage condition
See all images provided.Creator: Iittala (Manufacturer),Tapio Wirkkala (Artist)Dimensions: Height: 6.5 in (16.51 cm)Width: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)Depth: 4 in (10.16 cm)Style: Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)Materials and Techniques: Art GlassPlace of Origin: FinlandPeriod: Late 20th CenturyDate of Manufacture: 1970sCondition: GoodWear consistent with age and use. Preowned vintage condition.Seller Location: Chula Vista, CAReference Number: Seller: ARTG8082411stDibs: LU971541033052Shop All Tapio Wirkkala
Tapio Wirkkala
Along with architect Alvar Aalto, the designer Tapio Wirkkala was Finlands 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 Wirkkalas 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 modernists practical approach, incorporating his leaf-like spirals into simple, functional objects. That is the core attraction of Wirkkalas designs: They stand out with a striking, sculptural energy yet blend in as part of a warm and comfortable decor.
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