Iittala - Alvar Aalto - Vase (2) - Glass
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Two objects by Iittala designed by Alvar Aalto from Finland, dating to 1980–1990, comprising a white glass vase (20 cm long × 18 cm wide × 16 cm high) and a shallow bowl (19 cm long × 16 cm wide × 5 cm high), both stamped with Aalto’s name and in good condition with a small rim chip on the bowl.
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Description from the seller
An Alvar Aalto vase and low ‘bowl’
Aalto drew inspiration from the thousands of lakes in his native Finland for his design featuring the undulating wave (‘aalto’ in Finnish). He received an award in 1937 at the World Exhibition in Paris.
The manufacturing technique follows the original method;
The vase is blown in a wooden mould with the opening facing downwards. This gives the vase a softer shape due to its characteristic design.
The iconic design is inspired by the Finnish landscape of his youth and is both functional and sculptural.
Alvar Aalto’s name is stamped on the base of both items
Dimensions:
Vase: Length 20 cm, width 18 cm, height 16 cm, weight 1195 grams. In good condition with no chips, only natural wear and tear.
Bowl/Shallow bowl: Length 19 cm, width 16 cm, height 5 cm, weight 485 grams. It has a small chip along the rim; see the last photo.
Packed securely and sent with insurance
Seller's Story
This will be a slightly different presentation to what you’re used to from sellers on this site.
After six years on the platform, we have had to accept that we need to draw the line with customers who are simply too rude, aggressive, unwilling to listen and unreasonable.
In 2021–2022–2023–2024, we maintained a customer rating of between 98–100 per cent, but it came at a price. We spent an enormous amount of time on it and had to put up with unreasonable demands, etc.
So, in 2025, we started keeping statistics on this, and this is the result.
We spent 360 unpaid hours (including evenings and weekends) in 2025 dealing with customers who either hadn’t understood the tracking system or the platform’s rules, or who thought it was our fault that the courier company was too ‘slow’, and so on and so forth.
In other words, things that actually had nothing to do with the quality of the goods, etc.
Statistically, around 1 in 10 customers were completely unreasonable, demanding things that went far beyond what is acceptable, and using words such as ‘cunt’, ‘idiot’ and so on.
That’s over now; our target is a rating of around 90 per cent, and we no longer waste any time on those who treat us that way – which, of course, will often result in a negative rating. We accept this and, as a result, save 360 hours a year – hours for which we don’t get paid – but in return we also avoid being subjected to abusive messages, threats (yes, it has actually happened before) and so on.
Of course, we take questions and any complaints about product quality and the like very seriously, and if/when people approach us respectfully with relevant questions, we are, of course, 100 per cent available day and night.
Kind regards RetroSpect
An Alvar Aalto vase and low ‘bowl’
Aalto drew inspiration from the thousands of lakes in his native Finland for his design featuring the undulating wave (‘aalto’ in Finnish). He received an award in 1937 at the World Exhibition in Paris.
The manufacturing technique follows the original method;
The vase is blown in a wooden mould with the opening facing downwards. This gives the vase a softer shape due to its characteristic design.
The iconic design is inspired by the Finnish landscape of his youth and is both functional and sculptural.
Alvar Aalto’s name is stamped on the base of both items
Dimensions:
Vase: Length 20 cm, width 18 cm, height 16 cm, weight 1195 grams. In good condition with no chips, only natural wear and tear.
Bowl/Shallow bowl: Length 19 cm, width 16 cm, height 5 cm, weight 485 grams. It has a small chip along the rim; see the last photo.
Packed securely and sent with insurance
Seller's Story
This will be a slightly different presentation to what you’re used to from sellers on this site.
After six years on the platform, we have had to accept that we need to draw the line with customers who are simply too rude, aggressive, unwilling to listen and unreasonable.
In 2021–2022–2023–2024, we maintained a customer rating of between 98–100 per cent, but it came at a price. We spent an enormous amount of time on it and had to put up with unreasonable demands, etc.
So, in 2025, we started keeping statistics on this, and this is the result.
We spent 360 unpaid hours (including evenings and weekends) in 2025 dealing with customers who either hadn’t understood the tracking system or the platform’s rules, or who thought it was our fault that the courier company was too ‘slow’, and so on and so forth.
In other words, things that actually had nothing to do with the quality of the goods, etc.
Statistically, around 1 in 10 customers were completely unreasonable, demanding things that went far beyond what is acceptable, and using words such as ‘cunt’, ‘idiot’ and so on.
That’s over now; our target is a rating of around 90 per cent, and we no longer waste any time on those who treat us that way – which, of course, will often result in a negative rating. We accept this and, as a result, save 360 hours a year – hours for which we don’t get paid – but in return we also avoid being subjected to abusive messages, threats (yes, it has actually happened before) and so on.
Of course, we take questions and any complaints about product quality and the like very seriously, and if/when people approach us respectfully with relevant questions, we are, of course, 100 per cent available day and night.
Kind regards RetroSpect
Details
Era
1900-2000
Number of objects
2
Country of origin
Finland
Designer/artist/maker
Alvar Aalto
Material
Glass
Manufacturer/brand
Iittala
Colour
White
Condition
Good condition - used with small signs of aging & blemishes
Height
16 cm
Width
20 cm
Depth
18 cm
Estimated period
1980-1990
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