Large nutshell made of teak, brass and leather handle. 1950s.


In 1912, Karl Heinrich Auböck opened a metal workshop in Vienna's 7th district, where he produced the then famous "Vienna bronzes", miniaturized bronze figures and statues that were very popular at the beginning of the 20th century.

His son Carl Auböck II was trained in his father's workshop for forging and engraving and went to study at the Bauhaus Academy in Weimar. He joined the family business in 1926 and initially used the glamorous art deco style in his designs, later adopting the classic modern style. His designs for everyday objects from the 1940s and his abstract paintings achieved cult status after World War II.

In the 1950s, the third generation of the Auböck family entered the workshop: Carl Auböck III studied architecture in the USA and associated with greats of modern design such as Charles and Ray Eames, Herbert Bayer and Walter Gropius. Together with his father, he designed a variety of everyday objects such as desk accessories, corkscrews, bottle caps, floor lamps, wardrobes and shoehorns. They are fun, almost ironic designs that have become classics of 20th-century functionalist design, prized by collectors and antique dealers around the world. His everyday objects fetch the prices of works of art hanging on the wall.

110 years later, the legacy of the Auböck workshop is still guaranteed thanks to the fourth generation with Carl Auböck IV and his wife Justine. The workshop in the family home in Vienna still manufactures classic and contemporary products today. His designs have been sold at venues such as Tiffany & Co., Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales in New York, Ginza Shiseido in Tokyo, Harrods in London and Christofle in Paris.

Carved horn letter opener. Model No. 5327. 1950s.

Bottle opener model "Neptune" made of steel and leather. 1950s.

Brass wine bottle holder with rattlet finish and brass and cork bottle stopper. 1950s.