1960s Kaj Franck for Arabia Finland White & Reb Lobsters Enamel Bowl
About the Item
- Creator:Arabia of Finland (Maker),Kaj Franck (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 5.75 in (14.61 cm)Diameter: 8.25 in (20.96 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. No visible wear, in excellent condition and ready to be used for years to come. Please see all attached pictures.
- Seller Location:Farmington Hills, MI
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5867236931032
Kaj Franck
Kaj Gabriel Franck was a leading figure in 20th-century Finnish design, specializing in ceramics and glass. As the creative director of Arabia Ceramics, now part of Iittala, he, along with fellow Finns Timo Sarpaneva and Tapio Wirkkala, helped popularize the bright, warm and curvy aesthetic of Scandinavian modernism. Design Forum Finland’s Kaj Franck Design Prize, established in 1992 and awarded each year around his birthday, is among the country’s most prestigious honors for designers.
Franck was born in 1911 in the city of Vyborg, which now belongs to Russia, but was then part of the Grand Duchy of Finland. He studied furniture design at the Central School of Industrial Design in Helsinki, and after graduating in 1932, worked as a catalogue illustrator for the Riihimäki glassworks, exploring interior and textile design on the side.
Having served in the Finnish armed forces during World War II, Franck joined Arabia in 1945 as their head of design. He remained with the company for many years, steering its line of tableware in a dynamic new direction. Franck professed an aversion to superfluous ornament. His ceramic designs were nevertheless complex and eye-catching, animated with playful, geometric forms. One of his most famous creations for Arabia was the Origami dish from the early 1960s, a glossy all-white serving piece resembling a subtly folded piece of paper with four shallow sections for holding food.
Although his Arabia ceramics became household staples for consumers in Scandinavia and beyond, Franck is better known among collectors for his glass designs, particularly those he created for Iittala starting in the late 1940s. In a 1947 Iittala-sponsored glass competition, Franck shared the top prize with Tapio Wirkkala. In 1950, he designed the company’s iconic Kartio series of pressed-glass pitchers and glasses, which came in different colors that consumers could “mix and match” rather than having to buy a homogeneous set. In 1977, Franck redesigned the series, renamed Teemaa.
Franck’s designs for Iittala embodied the Finnish concept of pelkistetty, which literally means “reduced” and in the design world refers to the pared-down, minimal qualities of modernism. This principle, evidenced in objects like his elegant, unfussy sets of jewel-toned drinking glasses from the 1960s, informed Franck’s view of the manufacturing process as well. Critical of mass production and consumerism, he was one of the country’s first professionals in his field to advocate recycling. He became known as the “conscience of Finnish design,” a role he embraced as a professor and later artistic director at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki.
In honor of Franck’s 100th birthday, in 2011, Iittala reissued Kartio glasses, Teema tableware and Purnukka jars, among other of his designs that retain their contemporary feel decades after their creation.
Find vintage Kaj Franck glass, vases and other furniture and decor on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Farmington Hills, MI
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- 1960s Modern Danish Teak Nightstands, a PairLocated in Farmington Hills, MIWe are very pleased to offer a mid-century Danish pair of nightstands, circa the 1960s. These sturdy and heavy pieces are made of solid teak and a teak veneer backbone; hence, beauti...Category
Vintage 1960s Unknown Scandinavian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsTeak
- 1960s Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates Brutalist Glass Dining TableBy Adrian PearsallLocated in Farmington Hills, MIWe are very pleased to offer a stunning table by American architect and furniture designer Adrian Pearsall, circa the 1960s. Inspired by Paul Evans creation of metal-sculpted furniture...Category
Vintage 1960s North American Brutalist Dining Room Tables
MaterialsGlass, Resin
- 1960s Albano Poli for Poliarte Eclisse Glass and Chrome Cube Table LampBy Albano Poli, PoliarteLocated in Farmington Hills, MIWe are very pleased to offer a stunning table lamp by Italian designer Albano Poli for Poliarte, circa the 1960s. This sculptural piece with its noteworthy cube-shaped structure is m...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- 1960s Spaghetti Colorful Drinkware Tumbler Glasses – Set of 9Located in Farmington Hills, MIWe are very pleased to offer a vintage set of nine spaghetti tumblers, circa the 1960s. This distinctive type of drinkware is characterized by their unique texture, which resembles s...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsGlass, Plastic
- 1960s Jens Risom Sculptural Floating Lounge Chairs, a SetBy Jens RisomLocated in Farmington Hills, MIWe are very pleased to offer a Mid-Century Modern, gorgeous pair of lounge chairs by Jens Risom, circa the 1960s. This fabulous set has been newly upholstered in a zebra stripe velve...Category
Vintage 1960s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Corner Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Hardwood
- 1960s Kittinger Cw12 Colonial Williamsburg Neoclassical Wingback Chairs – a PairBy Kittinger Furniture CompanyLocated in Farmington Hills, MIWe are very pleased to offer a stunning pair of wingback chairs, by Kittinger, circa the 1960s. The Kittinger Company is an American maker of traditional colonial reproduction furniture that was founded in 1866 and is recognized for its attention to detail and conservancy in their high-quality pieces. This set is a reproduction of an antique chair...Category
Vintage 1960s American American Colonial Wingback Chairs
MaterialsMahogany, Upholstery
- Kaj Franck for Arabia, Finland. "Tonttu" enamelled metal bowl. 1960sLocated in Copenhagen, DKKaj Franck for Arabia, Finland. "Tonttu" enamelled metal bowl, decorated with dancing gnomes. 1960s. In excellent condition with traces of use. Dimensions: D 16.0 cm. x H 10.0 cm.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Serving Bowls
MaterialsMetal
- Kaj Franck, Arabia, Finland. "Tonttu" enamelled metal bowl. 1960sLocated in Copenhagen, DKKaj Franck for Arabia, Finland. "Tonttu" enamelled metal bowl, decorated with dancing gnomes. 1960s. In excellent condition with traces of use. Dimensions: D 16.0 cm. x H 10.0 cm.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Serving Bowls
MaterialsMetal
- Kaj Franck, Arabia Finland, enamel bowl & original box, 1960s mid-century, superBy Arabia, Kaj FranckLocated in London, GBKaj Franck, Finland (designer) (attr.) Arabia, Helsinki (manufacturer) Bowl, 1960s Enamelled metal with flower pattern decoration. Original box. Very good condition with only a fe...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Serving Bowls
MaterialsMetal, Enamel
- Kaj Franck for Arabia, Finland. "Tonttu" enamelled metal bowl with gnomsLocated in Copenhagen, DKKaj Franck for Arabia, Finland. "Tonttu" enamelled metal bowl, decorated with dancing gnomes. 1960s. In excellent condition with traces of use. Dimensions: D 16.0 cm. x H 10.0 cm. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Serving Bowls
MaterialsMetal
- Kaj Franck Ceramic Kissa Cat Pitcher for Arabia Finland 1960sBy Arabia of Finland, Kaj FranckLocated in Clifton Springs, NYPlayful Mid Century Modern Kissa KL2 pitcher with blue cat decor was made as a part of a series, with decor designed by Gunvor Olin-Grönqvist and pitcher sh...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Pitchers
MaterialsCeramic, Porcelain
- Set of three Orange-Red Enameled Bowls by Kaj Franck for Finel, Finland, 1960sBy Finel, Kaj FranckLocated in Steenwijk, NLA very nice set of three red-orange enameled bowls made by Kaj Franck for Finel, made in Finland in the 1960s. These bowls are in a very good condition with some signs of age and use...Category
Antique 1660s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsEnamel