Iittala.

Iittala

Iittala is the Finnish glassworks that brought Scandinavian table design to international scale. Founded in 1881 in the village of Iittala, it became, through collaborations with Alvar Aalto, Tapio Wirkkala, Timo Sarpaneva, Kaj Franck and Oiva Toikka, the reference editor of 20th-century design glassware. Aalto Savoy vase 1936, Ultima Thule 1968, Finlandia 1964, Teema 1952: pieces that LAPIERRE sources and authenticates primarily in 1950s-1990s productions, with focus on historical editions and signed pieces.

House history

Iittala was founded in 1881 by Swedish glassblower Petrus Magnus Abrahamsson, in the Finnish village of Iittala, about 130 km north of Helsinki. The glassworks began with hand-blown utilitarian glass production: drinking glasses, carafes, bottles. At the turn of the 20th century, it was bought by the larger Karhula house and entered the industrial Wärtsilä holding over subsequent decades.

The creative turning point came in the 1930s. Alvar Aalto, Finnish architect and designer already known for his Paimio chairs and Paimio sanatorium, designed the Savoy vase in 1936 for the Karhula-Iittala competition for the Finnish pavilion at the 1937 Paris Universal Exhibition. The vase, free-form mouth-blown into a wooden mould, became the emblem of Finnish glassware. Aino Aalto, his architect wife, designed the Bölgeblick concentric-ring series in 1932, still edited today.

The 1940s-1960s mark the creative golden age. Tapio Wirkkala joined Iittala in 1947 and stayed for over forty years, designing Ultima Thule (1968), pieces with melted-ice effect blown in burnt-wood moulds. Timo Sarpaneva developed Finlandia (1964), pitchers and vases with bark effect, and the i-line collection. Kaj Franck signed Teema (1952), simple geometric porcelain table service, become a functionalist design standard. Oiva Toikka introduced the Birds series in 1972, blown-glass birds become a collection.

Iittala merged with Hackman in 1990, then with Fiskars in 2007, which holds the brand today. Production remains partly in Finland in Iittala, with mouth-blowing maintained for signature pieces.

Iconic pieces we source

Aalto Savoy vase (Alvar Aalto, 1936). Free-form mouth-blown, in several heights (95, 120, 160, 220, 251 mm) and several colours (clear, moss green, amber, blue, grey). Founding piece of Scandinavian design glass, sought in older editions.

Aino Aalto (Aino Aalto, 1932). Concentric-ring pressed-glass series. Water glasses, wine glasses, carafes, bowls. Still edited. Older editions in good condition are sourced regularly.

Ultima Thule (Tapio Wirkkala, 1968). Stemmed glasses, carafes, vases with melted-ice effect blown in burnt-wood moulds. Irregular texture particular to each piece. Sought for plastic singularity.

Finlandia (Timo Sarpaneva, 1964). Pitchers and vases with bark effect, blown in carbonised wood moulds. Rarer in good condition, collector piece.

Teema (Kaj Franck, 1952). Simple porcelain table service: plates, bowls, mugs, dishes. Pure geometry, colourful palette. Still edited. Early editions are sought.

Birds by Toikka (Oiva Toikka, since 1972). Blown-glass birds, each piece unique through colouration. Over 500 models produced since 1972. Limited editions and early years hold distinct value.

Festivo (Timo Sarpaneva). Transparent glass candleholders with stacked rings. Classic of Finnish tables.

Recognising authenticity

Authentication rests on three cross-checks. The marking: engraved signature on the underside, sometimes with date and Iittala logo. Markings have evolved: handwritten Aalto signature for older productions, laser engraving for recent productions. Iittala logo (i in script then sans-serif by period). The colour: historical editions carry specific shades by decade, sometimes deeper or lighter than current re-editions. Blowing quality: older productions present ondulations and light air bubbles, sign of manual blowing. Moulded pieces (Aino Aalto in pressed glass) do not carry these marks. The pontil mark on the base, blowing point, is an antiquity indicator for mouth-blown pieces.

LAPIERRE process for this house

Each Iittala piece is inspected for its marking, condition (chips, cracks, signs of use), colour and form consistency with the catalogued model. Pieces by historical designers (Aalto, Wirkkala, Sarpaneva, Franck, Toikka) are favoured. Cross-referencing with period catalogues, reference books on Finnish design and Iittala archives allows attribution and dating. Pieces with old restoration (light recut, chip restoration) are flagged, price adjusted. Limited editions and signed pieces (numbered Birds by Toikka, special-edition Aalto vases) receive a detailed listing.

Request a search

Looking for a specific Iittala piece (Aalto Savoy vase in particular colour, complete Ultima Thule series, rare Birds by Toikka) not in the selection? Write to LAPIERRE with the brief: model, designer, size, colour, budget. Our team activates its sourcing network in Scandinavia, particularly Finland and Sweden, to identify the piece.