I received this vase a few years back from my aunt who thought it was hideous . I believe it orginally came from one of the several storage auctions she had bought . I loved the style of it and how unique it looked . Since then I never did any research on it until now . After discovering the etching on the the bottom I was anxious to find out more about it . The etching shows that it is a Tapio Wirkkala from Iitala . It has no other information besides that (no numbers) . I have looked for items like it and ran into nothing but dead ends . I have provided some photos of the vase and the etching . Please provide all the information you can . Any help is greatly appreciated . Is it one of a kind or just a simple vase . Regardless it will be kept in my collection .
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More info on my Wirkkaka vase
From what I am able to see, this vase may be the "Vinirypale/Paaryna" vase or, in English, the Grape/Pear vase # 3278. The height is 100 mm by 150mm. My copy of Tapio Wirkkala, Eye, Hand, and Thought states that it is a turned-mold blown, cased glass vase with brown spots. Does this sound correct? it was listed in the iittala catalog from 1947-1949. Tapio is one of my favorite designers of the 20th century and I own over 40 of his rarer Rosenthal vases.
Thank you for the information...
Thank you for the information . This is more than I have been able to find out about it . Now, I have just two more questions . Is it uncommon for his items to go without id or item numbers ? There is only his name and no numbers etched into the bottom . And also is this a common piece, for I haven't seen any other like it . Oh, and I'm sorry for the way the pictures turned out . I just noticed that they were cut off . And once again thank you for all your help . ( Also the height of the vase is 6.75 inchs or 171.45 mm converted, I believe . )
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From what I am able to tell, IIttala did not commonly etch the numbers on to Wirkkala's vases. After writing you last night, I did a little more research. It appears to be one of Wirkkala's earlier vases for Iittala. He started working for Iittala in 1946 becoming one of its key designers within just a couple of years. In 1951, at the Milan Triennale, a contemporary design exhibition in Italy, this vase was one of thirty three that Wirkkala exhibited. At this event, his collection was highlighted by Gio Ponti. Ponti, for his design journal, Domus, went to cover and write about the show. Since that event, Wirkkala and Ponti were good friends throughout their lives.
For the last decade that I have been collecting Wirkkala, I have seen quite a lot of his pieces. I can't say that I have ever seen this one. Does this mean that his other Iittala pieces were preferred more by the buying public (i.e. your mother) or part of a smaller production run? I am not sure if that info is readily available. At any rate, I would covet this vase.
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I keep typing faster than I think. I meant to say your aunt. Also, you mention that the vase is over 6"? My Wirkkala book definitively states that the two heights are 100mm and 150mm. Could you post better pictures showing the complete vase and the bottom in its entirety?
I am really enjoying learning...
I am really enjoying learning more about this vase . You sure know your stuff . I am going to upload these pictures again and try to get them right . If they still are cut off, you should be able to view them from the web link I posted at the very bottom of this post or here .
http://s1098.photobucket.com/albums/g363/leoncamp318/
http://s1098.photobucket.com/albums/g363/leoncamp318/
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Your vase certainly does resemble the line drawing in my book. I can't really explain why the measurement is off. Could it have been a prototype or limited edition size? Rosenthal commonly had Wirkkala's vases produced in 2 or 3 different sizes. Maybe Iittala had this size initially done only to feel that the other two sizes would be more commercial. I wish that I could give you better information. Have you considered contacting Iittala directly?
It seems the mystery...
It seems the mystery continues . I had thought about contacting them directly but I decided to try to do some more research before hand . It really astounds me that even an avid Wirkkala collector, like yourself, has questions about this vase . It even leads to me to considering that this may be a fake, I would hope not though . I guess the next step would be to contact Iittala . I should be able to do so from their website, correct ? Also, did the link I provided in the last post allow you to see the pictures I had uploaded ? Well I shall keep you updated on the progress I make . Maybe you could share some photos of your collection sometime .
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Yes, I was able to see your photos and I still strongly believe that it is the Pear/Grape vase based on my book. I would not jump to the consclusion that it is a fake. I do hope that Iittala can help. I will forewarn you that if Iittala is anything like Rosenthal, you may not even get good information from them. Years ago, when I tried to get hallmark info for studio linie Rosenthal, Rosenthal could offer little information since they no longer kept archival records. Please let me know what you find. Good luck.
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