Set of 9 Aslak textured grey glasses by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala, Finland, 1970s.
Solid yet soft. Textured yet restrained. The Aslak glass by Tapio Wirkkala captures a delicate contradiction — the meeting of Nordic brutalism with sensual tactility.
Designed in the 1970s, each glass is pressed with a signature ice-like texture that recalls glacial surfaces or carved rock — forms sculpted not by hand but by nature itself. The result is a tactile experience that invites the fingers to read the object as much as the eye. There is no ornament here, only surface — and in the surface, memory.
Part of Soft Brutalism collection, this set of 9 expresses Wirkkala’s mastery in transforming functional glassware into subtle sculptural compositions. Neither fully transparent nor opaque, the grey-toned glass offers a moody chromatic depth — like fog suspended in material form. For daily use or contemplative display, these are vessels of quiet presence, designed not only to hold but to provoke.
Only one set available.
OBJECT SPECIFICATIONS
PRODUCT: Set of 9 “Aslak” Textured Glasses
DESIGNER: Tapio Wirkkala
PERIOD: 1970s
MATERIAL & TECHNIQUE: Pressed glass | hand-blown into a hand-carved mould
COLOR: Smoky grey
TEXTURE: Ice-like relief texture
CONDITION: Excellent condition
DIMENSIONS: (+-) Height: 9 cm; Diameter: 8 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.