Having been founded by the Swede Peter Magnus Abrahamson in 1881 in the village of Iittalain, the firm initially employed Swedish workers as there was little to no glassmaking experience in Finland at that time. The company would pass through various hands without achieving notable success before a takeover by the Ahlstrom Group turned around its fortunes.

Goran Hongell was hired by the firm in 1932 as its first in-house designer and his success with movement led products (in his case Modernist and Art Deco) laid down the blueprint for fruitful collaborations between Iittala and leading Finnish designers for the next fifty years. 

Hongell was followed by husband and wife team Alvar and Aino Aalto with the former producing his famous “Savoy” vase, the latter her “Bolgeblick” series, and in collaboration the “Aalto” collection, with Aino winning the gold medal at the Milano Trienalle in 1954.

Tapio Wirkkala, Timo Sarpaneva and Oiva Toikka amongst others would follow, producing celebrated designs such as the “Kantarelli” vase, the “Orkidea” vase and the “Birds” series through the mid-century period into the 1980s, many of which are still in production today given their timeless form and function.

Iittala at Auction

There is a good collecting base for Iittala glass at auction with the most sought-after pieces being those produced in the original runs of the design. Wilson55 are experienced in selling 20^th century glass at auction and welcome enquiries regarding Iittala and other Scandinavian makers such as Kosta (Boda) and Orrefors for entry into our Modern Art & Design sales, held four times a year.

For a free, confidential valuation please contact us using the form below.