20th Century Vintage Fish Ashtray by Walter Bosse, 1950s
View Similar Items
20th Century Vintage Fish Ashtray by Walter Bosse, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Bosse (Metalworker)
- Dimensions:Height: 2.76 in (7 cm)Diameter: 2.37 in (6 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2682312734961
Walter Bosse
Credited with thousands of works and models for ceramic pieces, Walter Bosse was an intensely prolific designer. The modernist Austrian sculptor and ceramist was best known for his distinctive “Black Golden” series of decorative objects and figurines, particularly his hedgehog ashtrays. Bosse’s mid-century and Art Deco works were popular as gifts for politicians and royalty worldwide, remaining coveted among collectors today.
Bosse was born in Vienna in 1904 to artist parents — his father, Julius, was a portrait painter for the Austrian Imperial Court. Bosse studied at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna from 1918 to 1921 under Austrian sculptor Michael Powolny and Austrian painter Franz Cizek. Later, he continued at the Munich School of Applied Arts in Germany under Austrian architect and designer Josef Hoffmann, a founder of the Vienna Secession movement.
Early in his career, Bosse worked as a designer at several ceramics manufacturers, including Augarten Porcelain Works in 1924, Goldscheider Porcelain Manufactory and Majolica Factory in 1926 and Metzler and Ortloff in 1927. In 1925, Bosse displayed several pieces at the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts in Paris, which introduced the Art Deco style to a global audience.
In 1931, Bosse opened a shop in Kufstein, Austria, selling ceramic gift items. Owing to the crippling economic effects of the Great Depression, however, Bosse was forced to close his shop in 1937. He returned to Vienna in 1938 and opened another business, Bosse Keramik, where he sold toys, glass, textiles and more. In the late 1940s, Bosse experimented with small-scale brass sculptures and desk accessories coated in black ceramic glaze. With Austrian designer Herta Baller, Bosse formed the Bosse-Baller company to manufacture the “Black Golden” line of figurines, which became wildly popular worldwide.
Despite Bosse’s success, he struggled financially and moved to Iserlohn, Germany, in 1953. Meanwhile, Baller continued to manufacture and sell Bosse’s designs, which were so popular that forgers copied and sold counterfeit editions of Bosse’s works around the world. The 1950s marked the debut of the artist’s whimsically zoomorphic hedgehog ashtrays — these were cast in brass, and a hedgehog ashtray in any other material is not a Bosse original.
Bosse spent the rest of his life embroiled in court battles to protect his designs, leaving him penniless by the time he died. Today authentic Bosse pieces — from wall-mounted sculptures to tableware — continue to be highly sought after by collectors.
Find vintage Walter Bosse serveware, wall decorations and more on 1stDibs.
- French Ceramic Shellfish Ashtray, 1960'sLocated in Paris, FRFrench vintage 1960's-1970's ceramic ashtray by Vallauris in the shape of an orange brown shellfish with specks of gold on the edges. ------------------- We are an exhibition space...Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsCeramic
- 1980s Murano Sommerso Ashtray by OballBy Atelier OballLocated in Paris, FR20th century vintage Venetian Vetreria Oball Murano glass ashtray in sommerso style colours of milky white and pale pink. Italy. Circa 1980's. Beautiful...Category
20th Century Italian Ashtrays
MaterialsBlown Glass
- 20th Century Pair of Italian Vintage Brass Velvet Swan Chairs, 1950sLocated in Paris, FRVery beautiful and original mid-century accent or side statement chairs designed in a solid gold brass structure with two swan birds in fully restored condition through careful polis...Category
20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- 20th Century Italian Midcentury Armchairs, Set of Two, 1950sLocated in Paris, FRSet of 20th-century vintage Italian armchairs crafted in typical Italian midcentury style with the curved backrest and splayed, tapered wooden legs. In fully restored condition with ...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- 20th Century Vintage Fur Tray by GalenaLocated in Paris, FRGalena's curious 20th-century vintage tray is composed of stainless steel and wooden handles, a wooden base covered by non-slipping material, and a fur surface covered by plexiglass....Category
20th Century Italian Barware
MaterialsWood
- 20th Century Ico Parisi Armchairs for Ariberto Colombo, Set of Two, 1950sBy Ico ParisiLocated in Paris, FRA rare pair of two Italian midcentury collectible armchairs or lounge chairs designed by Ico and Luisa Parisi for Ariberto Colombo at the beginning of the 1950s. The angular shape of...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet
- Walter Bosse Fish Midcentury Brass Ashtray or Bowl, Herta Baller, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA charming modernist bowl or ashtray in the shape of a fish. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of brass, in excellent condi...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Midcentury Fish Sculpture Brass Ashtray, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Werkstätte Hagenauer WienLocated in Vienna, ATA charming Austrian midcentury brass ashtray from the 1950s, displaying a fish. A humorous design by Walter Bosse for Werkstätte Hagenauer V...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Sculpture by Walter Bosse, Ashtray in Brass, Austria circa 1960, Old PatinaBy Walter BosseLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FRThis ashtray is a sculpture from walter bosse, it is in Bronze with a green and gold patina. it has been done circa 1950 in Wien.Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Miniature Fish Figurine by Walter Bosse, circa 1950sBy Walter BosseLocated in Nuernberg, DEClassic midcentury 1950s Vienna bronze figurine by Walter Bosse. This gorgeous small miniature creature with big personality designed by Walter Bosse, an expert craftsman from the golden age of Vienna bronzes is a real beauty. He designed his “black/gold” series of bronze figurines to make “as many people as possible happy.” Excellent example of a Walter Bosse brass figurine...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBronze, Brass
- Walter Bosse Vintage Brass Hand Ashtray for Herta BallerBy Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATThis elegant and heavy ashtray by Walter Bosse for Herta Baller (Model 844) is an original Austrian Mid-Century piece of sculptural character. The object...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Thermometer, circa 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATWalter Bosse thermometer, circa 1950s Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
