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 |
