Set of 2 Niva glasses by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, Finland, 1970s.
Designed by Tapio Wirkkala — one of the most influential figures in Scandinavian design — the Niva glasses stand as crystalline meditations on landscape, material, and touch. Created for Iittala during the golden age of Finnish modernism, their surface is carved with precise, rhythmic textures that recall the erosion of water over stone, the cracking of ice, the fleeting geometries of melting snow.
Wirkkala’s design does not imitate nature, but translates it. In Niva, the natural world is refracted through the language of glass — a material both ancient and modern, functional and poetic. The lower half of each vessel is pressed with a band of angular relief that catches the light and guides the hand, creating a tactile interplay between grip and reflection. Above, the glass clears into a smooth, open form — a moment of stillness in contrast to the sculptural base.
These glasses, though made for daily use, feel quietly ceremonial. They embody the core tenets of Wirkkala’s design ethos: sensitivity to form, reverence for material, and the merging of aesthetic and utility into a single, cohesive gesture. Whether serving water, whisky, or simply catching the light on a quiet shelf, the Niva glasses are not just vessels — they are fragments of a landscape distilled into object form.
OBJECT SPECIFICATIONS
PRODUCT: Set of 2 Niva Glasses
DESIGNER: Tapio Wirkkala
MANUFACTURER: Iittala
ORIGIN: Finland
PERIOD: 1960s-1970s
MATERIAL & TECHNIQUE: Pressed glass | hand-blown into a hand-carved mould
COLOR: Clear
TEXTURE: Ice-like surface
CONDITION: Excellent condition
DIMENSIONS: (+/-) Diameter: 7 cm; Height: 14.5 cm
Tapio Wirkkala
A pioneer of 20th-century design, Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985) transformed everyday objects into lasting icons. No other designer captured the northern landscape as a material experience quite like him. His glassworks — carved like wind over snow, melting into glacial textures — seem to hold breath rather than boast.
With Wirkkala, glass forgets its transparency. It thickens, fractures, freezes — like a lake caught in the moment before thaw. His glass objects, designed for the Finnish company Iittala, does not imitate nature — it distills it. Every ripple, bubble, and edge recalls glacial forms not as decoration, but as memory in solid state.
Today, Wirkkala’s textured glass pieces are highly prized by collectors and design lovers worldwide. They represent a perfect synthesis of art, design, and nature, influencing generations of glassmakers. His works serve not only as functional tableware or decorative objects but also as timeless art pieces embodying the spirit of Scandinavian and Nordic modernism.