iittala Ultima Thule Glassware Set

About the Designer
Tapio Wirkkala Finland (1915 - )

Tapio Wirkkala (1915 - 1985) was born in Hankoo, Finland. Tapio Wirkkala is a symbolic figure of Finnish design, an artist of great diversity for whom no material was alien and who left no area of design unexplored. He was one of the most distinguished artists to shape Scandinavian design and industrial art. Tapio Wirkkala was a very productive and multitalented designer and sculptor. His work ranges from exceptional creations of art glass to industrial design in the form of beer bottles and banknotes. Wirkkala also designed jewelery, sculptures and furniture. Tapio Wirkkala was awarded in several prestigious competitions. Worth mentioning is at least the three Grand Prix medals from the Milan Triennale in 1954 and one Grand Prix medal and a gold medal in the 1960 Milan Triennale.

Legend has it that Ultima Thule was a far northern island buried in ice and snow, where the sun never set. Two thousand years ago, the ancient Greeks thought it was the edge of the world. Ultima Thule also has a deeper meaning; the extreme limits and capabilities of humankind, the ability to achieve the unattainable. Determined and continued experimentation with glassblowing techniques created Ultima Thule's unusual organic effect. The form gradually changes as molten glass burns the surface of the wooden moulds, crystallizing a particularly Finnish expression of glass in an eternal design classic.


Features:

• Glasses sold in sets of two
• Non-leaded crystal
• Glasses are dishwasher safe
• Pitcher is hand wash only