Tapio Wirkkala Handmade Silver Bowl

About the Item

Tapio wirkkala was an exceptionally talented designer regardless of the materials used. Although he established super stardom with his art glass objects in the 1950s by winning a number of Grand Prix and other awards in the Milan Triennials, his hand made silver objects were also remarkably futurisric and innovative. Tapio was always a hands on experience kind of designer. He always visited the work area of his objects and collaborated with the glass blowers or other handy and craftsmen that created the different items. Here we have a handmade and made to order silver dish that is finished by hand hammering the surface. It is so simple, minimal, and elegant and suits a number of different purposes. It can be used as a decorative centerpiece in any interior. It can also be handy as a fruit dish or other similar useful object.

Creator:

Kultakeskus Oy (Manufacturer),Tapio Wirkkala (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 13 in (33 cm)Diameter: 13 in (33 cm)

Style:

Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Silver

Place of Origin:

Finland

Period:

1970-1979

Date of Manufacture:

1970s

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. The overall impression is good.

Seller Location:

Helsinki, FI

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU6346236492132

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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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