Large Vintage Vase Orchid attributed to Timo Sarpaneva for Iittala, 1950s

One of postwar Finland’s most celebrated designers, Timo Sarpaneva was born to a family of blacksmiths and textiles artists in Helsinki in 1926. He studied graphic design and drafting at the Taideteollinen Korkeakoulu (now known as the Aalto University School of Arts, Design & Architecture) between 1941 and ’48. In 1949, he won a prize in glass design from Riihimäki Glassworks, and the following year Karhula-Iittala hired him as a designer and exhibition programmer. Sarpaneva’s designs for Iittala earned both the man and the company international acclaim, particularly through presentations at the Triennale di Milano in the 1950s.

Inspired by modernist principles of reduction and experimentation, Sarpaneva pioneered a number of new techniques and forms in glass design. Among his early innovations at Iittala was a steam-blowing technique that led to his famous Lansetti/Lancet (1952), Kajakki/Kayak (1953), and Orkidea/Orchid (1953) vessels. Around 1955-56, Sarpaneva developed his iconic, industrially produced, strikingly hued i-Linja series—alongside the lowercase “i” that remains Iittala’s logo today. Around the same time, US-based magazine House Beautiful called Sarpaneva’s Orkidea Vase “The Most Beautiful Object of the Year.” Another notable Sarpaneva project for Iittala was Finlandia (1964), a series of patterned glass vases that employ roughly hewn wood molds in the production process.

Though he’s best remembered for glass, Sarpaneva also created designs for textiles, carpets, ceramics, tableware, sculptures, and more. In 1960, he designed a cast-iron casserole pot—noted for its Japanese-inspired teak handle—for W. Rosenlew & Co. His Suomi Teapot for Rosenthal (1974) remains highly collectible today. Through his long career, Sarpaneva collaborated with Corning, Opa, Primo, Villayhtymä, and Venini, among others.

Among the honors bestowed upon Sarpaneva are multiple Grand Prix from the Triennale di Milano (two in 1954 and two in 1957), the Lunning Prize (1956), the International Design Award from the American Institute of Interior Designers (1963, 1969), and the Gold Medal from the President of Italy (1976). His work can be found in museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cooper-Hewitt, Victoria & Albert, Stedeliijk Museum, Nationalmuseum Stockholm, and Design Museum Helsinki.

Sarpaneva died in Helsinki in 2006.

Historic Finnish glassworks company Iittala was founded by Swedish glassblower Petrus Magnus Abrahamsson in 1881 in a village of the same name. The company changed hands several times and struggled to survive through the turn of the 20th century and beyond. It wasn’t until the 1930s, after Iittala merged with the Karhula glass company, that Iittala began to build its international reputation for beautiful yet functionalist art glass.

In 1932, Finnish designer Göran Hongell joined Iittala. In the years leading up to World War II, Hongell brought in talented outside designers and glassblowers, initiated design competitions, modernized the facilities and collections, and, in 1937, separated Iittala from Karhula. Hereafter, Karhula took over automated glass production, and Iittala oncentrated only on fine, artisanal production.

Esteemed Finnish designers Alvar and Aino Aalto were among the first collaborators to create iconic glass designs for Iittala. Aino developed her utilitarian pressed glass Bölgeblick series—now called Aalto Glasses—in 1932, and Alvar created his undulating Savoy Vase, inspired by the lakes of Finland, in 1936.

In 1946, Iittala organized a competition calling for “contemporary” art glass designs, and Finnish design masters Tapio Wirkkala and Kaj Franck jointly won. They both, in time, contributed significant works to Iittala’s collections, such as Wirkkala’s highly sculptural Kantarelli Vases (1946). 

In 1950, another Finnish design master joined Iittala: Timo Sarpaneva. Not only did Sarpaneva design the Iittala logo, he contributed a number of glassware and art glass designs that continue to be collected today. Standouts include his Lansetti Vases (1952), Orkidea Vases (1953), the i-Collection (1956), Triennale Glasses (1956/57), and Finlandia Vase (1964). Sarpaneva’s glass designs played a key role in popularizing Scandinavian design in the postwar era, winning the Grand Prix at both the 1954 and 1957 Triennale di Milano. In 1956, US-based shelter magazine House Beautiful judged Sarpaneva’s Orkidea Vase to be “The Most Beautiful Object of the Year.”

Through the second half of the 20^th century, Iittala continued to set high standards of quality and innovation in glass production. In 1990, the company was acquired by the Hackman Group, and international designers such as Konstantin Grcic and Marc Newson were commissioned to create new collections. Since 1996, Finnish designer Harri Koskinen has worked in-house for Iittala. In 2007, Finnish scissors brand, Friskars Corporation, bought the Iittala Group; Fiskars Group also owns Arabia, Royal Copenhagen, Rörstrand, Waterford, and Wedgwood, among others.

* Special thanks to Iittala for images.