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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal

We recently had our offer accepted on eBay for a Tapio Wirkkala black kingfisher figurine by Rosenthal, like the one in a photo below. We purchased it from a seller in Germany, and I'm sure you'll see a photo of the actual piece when it comes in. Just a few weeks earlier, we won a pair of beautiful white Rosenthal vases designed by Wirkkala. And, of course, we're still on a quest for one of the large Pollo vases at a price we can afford. Accomplishing this may be more a matter of luck than skillful hunting.

Wirkkala is fast becoming one of my favorite designers because of the simplicity and elegance of his pieces. We currently have one of his Ultima Thule bowls and have sold other pieces of that collection in the store in the past.

I have posted a couple of times about Wirkkala...once about his glassware and another time about a broader range of his designs. Lately, though, I've really been drawn to his black and white matte designs for Rosenthal. His cylindrical Variation collection in black was the first application of Rosenthal "porcelaine noire."

Wirkkala began designing for Rosenthal in the early 1950s, but the Studio-Line (Studio-Linie in German) pieces of the early 1960s are much easier to find, though still rather pricey to purchase. They're so beautiful, however, that to me they are worth every penny.


Rosenthal vases by Wirkkala in our store

Wirkkala kingfisher figurines
1stdibs.com

botterweg.com

marcolagerweij.nl

styleforum.com

icollector.com

styleforum.com

botterweg.com

Porcelaine noir Pollo vase
antiquesnavigator.com

6 comments:

  1. Ever had an embarrassing case of "premature publication?" That's what happened with this post. I was trying to get tomorrow's post ready so I could spend a completely unproductive but enjoyable evening catching up on back episodes of Breaking Bad. I wasn't even finished writing the post, and I hit Publish instead of Preview. Oooops.

    Once the thing goes out on the feed, you can do one of two things...delete it and have people grumbling about the broken link or go ahead and commit. So even though it wasn't my intention, it was two-for-the-price-of-one day at Mid2Mod. :)

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  2. You are so cute!

    Such a good post, though, & happy you posted today because I learned so much and I will also be a bit absent from blogs this weekend (visiting family!)

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  3. I just finished up season one and will be starting on 2 tonight while I refinish my bedroom furniture. Great show! That last vase is a beaut too.

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  4. @Tanya: Enjoy your time with your family!

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  5. @nickarmadillo: I'm nearly through Season 3, and it's getting better with every episode.

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  6. &speak of the devil !! :) i agree, the Rosenthal pieces are subtle and classy.

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