Porcelain Wall Decoration by Tapio Wirkkala, Yearly Limited Edition 1971
About the Item
- Creator:Tapio Wirkkala (Artist),Rosenthal (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.11 in (2.8 cm)Diameter: 12.33 in (31.3 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1971
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Produced in a limited edition of 3000 pieces, in perfect condition and accompanied by its original box, this is the number "2131". Signed Rosenthal – studio-linie – *GERMANY Rosenthal Jahresteller – Edition 1971 – Design : Tapio Wirkkala.
- Seller Location:Brussels, BE
- Reference Number:
Rosenthal
While the Rosenthal Porcelain Factory grew from humble decorating roots — as many pottery companies do — it eventually built a list of universally revered designer and artist partners that included Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalí. And after securing an enviable position as a top manufacturer of serveware and dominating the porcelain and bone china markets, Rosenthal expanded into furniture production, working with influential designers Verner Panton, Luigi Colani and Günther Ferdinand Ris and Herbert Selldorf.
German-born Jewish businessman Philipp Rosenthal founded the company in 1879 in Bavaria. It began as his modest workshop where he painted porcelain and encountered success with porcelain ashtrays. Rosenthal hired the best designers and clay modelers he could find. Adolf Oppel designed figurative Art Nouveau pieces, while Eleonore (Lore) Friedrich-Gronau produced decorative objects, namely her graceful porcelain dancer figurines, for the company.
Dinnerware, though, would be a Rosenthal mainstay. Between 1904 and 1910, Rosenthal produced its renowned dinnerware lines such as Donatello, Darmstadt and Isolde. These were introduced as unornamented white pieces — only later were they given their underglaze designs.
Rosenthal founder Philipp, a Catholic of Jewish ancestry, resigned in 1934 as the company’s president due to pressures owing to discriminatory German laws that took shape during the rise of the Nazi regime. Rosenthal died in 1937, and the family fled to America. The company would not regain its footing until 1950 when Rosenthal’s son, Philip, joined the firm and, in 1958, became chairman and dubbed Germany’s “China King.” At its peak, the company had 10,000 employees.
In the 1950s, Rosenthal’s modernist dinnerware was a significant part of the brand’s offerings, and by 1961 they introduced the famed Rosenthal Studio Line. Although furniture designers and ceramicists would lead the list of individuals working with Rosenthal — among them Tapio Wirkkala, Max Weber and Lisa Larson — the company eventually reached out to fine artists, not only Dalí and Warhol but Sandro Chia and Kenny Scharf. Rosenthal also collaborated with fashion designers Gianni Versace and Donatella Versace.
In a daring move in 1972, the company diversified into furniture, collaborating with some of the giants of mid-century modern design. The revolutionary Sunball chair, an icon of Space Age seating crafted by Selldorf and Ris, was among Rosenthal’s stellar successes in this venture.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Rosenthal ceramics, porcelain, tableware, seating and more.
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Leuze-en-Hainaut, Belgium
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Pavoni by Tapio Wirkkala – High blown Murano glass vaseBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Brussels, BEPavoni by Tapio Wirkkala – High blown Murano glass vase Pavoni by Tapio Wirkkala, high blown Murano glass vase. Vase with an oval cross section. Decor in filigrana over red glass. A ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass, Blown Glass
- Duo, Silver-Plated Metal Flatware Set for 12 People, Tapio Wirkkala, ChristofleBy Tapio Wirkkala, ChristofleLocated in Brussels, BEDesigned in 1957 by Tapio Wirkkala, the “Duo” flatware set is made of silver plated metal. It is part of the “Formes Nouvelles” (“New Shapes”) range imagined by the well-known Parisian silversmith Christofle. The flatware set consists of 121 pieces for 12 people: • 12 dinner forks • 12 dinner knives • 12 dinner spoons • 12 fish forks • 12 fish knives • 12 starter forks • 12 starter knives • 12 dessert forks • 12 coffee spoons • 6 mocha spoons • 2 salad servers • 2 vegetables servers...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Sterling Silver
MaterialsSilver
- Enameled Ceramic Sculpture by Antonino Spoto, BelgiumBy Antonino SpotoLocated in Brussels, BESculpture of conical shape in enameled ceramic, the conical surface enameled in matt white color, the "base" enameled in bright orange color. Produced in 2013. Considered one of the beautiful surprises of Belgian ceramics...Category
2010s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic
- Siderale, Sommerso and Battuto Glass Sculpture by Giorgio VignaBy VeniniLocated in Brussels, BESculpture in translucent glass whose interior has a "cavity" in blue sommerso glass. The blue color causes a slight exterior reflection. The entire exterior of the piece is wheel engraved. Giorgio Vigna...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsGlass, Art Glass
- Brutalist sculpture bearing an amethyst geode by Pia ManuBy Pia ManuLocated in Brussels, BEBrutalist sculpture in forged steel bearing an imposing amethyst geode.Category
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsAmethyst
- Swan by Gabriele De Vecchi – Silver sculpture mounted on a shellBy Gabriele De VecchiLocated in Brussels, BE“Swan”, silver sculpture mounted on a shell, by Gabriele De Vecchi. Sculpture representing a silver swan mounted on a shell forming the body and wings.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsSilver
- 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
- Art Piece No 3894 Limited Edition Glass Sculpture for Iittala by Tapio WirkkalaBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in London, GBArt Piece No 3894 is a limited edition artwork in clear, light and dark brown by Tapio Wirkkala for iittala. Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) was a multitalented design genius, widely con...Category
2010s Finnish Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsArt Glass, Blown Glass
- Ceramic Paper Bag Vase Designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal, Germany, 1970sBy Tapio Wirkkala, RosenthalLocated in Barcelona, ESTapio Wirkkalas playful ceramic paper bag vase in Kraft brown color. Original 1970s edition.Category
Mid-20th Century German Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- German Porcelain Vase by Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal, 1980sBy Tapio Wirkkala, RosenthalLocated in Bochum, NRWA tall, ovoid shaped white porcelain vase designed in 1970 by Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal Studio Line ‘Drops’ pattern as the tactile design on its exterior has raised dots, like rai...Category
Vintage 1980s German Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
- Vintage Venini Egg Designed by Tapio WirkkalaBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Doraville, GAA vintage transparent glass egg with a gold leaf yoke. Tapio Wirkkala was well know by Venini since the 1950s due to Wirkkala's inclusion in the Venice Biennale's, Wirkkala joined Venini in 1964, the egg was designed in 1968 and manufactured until sometime after this date. The egg was illustrated in the 1969 Venini catalog, page 16...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsGold Leaf
- 'Karelia' Porcelain Leaf-Pattern Dish by Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal, 1970sBy Tapio Wirkkala, RosenthalLocated in London, GBTapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal, c. 1970 ‘Karelia’ leaf-pattern dish White porcelain Very good condition with only very minor marks Dimensions, approx..: lenght 28cm, width 9cm...Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsCeramic