Walter Bosse Furniture
Austrian, 1904-1979
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.
Color: Gray
Creator: Walter Bosse
Small Libra Zodiac Sign by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Small Libra Zodiac sign by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
Brass
Candle Holder, Vienna, Around 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Candle holder vienna around 1950s.
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
Brass
Walter Bosse pencil holder around 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Walter Bosse pencil holder around 1950
Original condition
Pencil not included
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
Brass
Walter Bosse Pencil Holder 'Marked' Around 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Walter Bosse pencil holder( marked ) around 1950s
The pencil is not icluded ( it is only for the photoshooting )
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
Brass
Walter Bosse Bear Figurine
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Walter Bosse bear figurine
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
Brass
Key Holder Gulls Motiv circa 1950s by Walter Bosse
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Key Holder Gulls Motiv circa 1950s by Walter Bosse
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
Brass
Thermometer by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Thermometer by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
Brass
Big Key Holder Gulls Motiv circa 1950s by Walter Bosse
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Big Key holder Gulls Motiv circa 1950s by Walter Bosse
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
Brass
Key Holder Gulls Motiv circa 1950s by Walter Bosse
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Key holder Gulls Motiv circa 1950s by Walter Bosse
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
Brass
Small Fish Figurine by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Small fish figurine by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
Brass
Walter Bosse Bottle Holder, Cat Blackened Brass, Austria, 1950s
By Walter Bosse
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A nice wine bottle holder made of blackened and partly polished brass by Walter Bosse, Austria, 1950s.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
Brass
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Walter Bosse Cat Figurine with Thermometer, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
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Free Shipping
H 1.19 in W 8.67 in D 0.79 in
Monkey Wall Hook by Walter Bosse
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Brass hook "monkey" by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller, Vienna from the 1950s.
Used but in very good vintage condition.
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Miniature Owl Figurine by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
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Classic mid-century 1950s Vienna bronze figurine by Walter Bosse.
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Walter Bosse Hedgehog Stackable Brass Ashtrays, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
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A complete set of six vintage stackable midcentury hedgehog ashtrays. A very humorous and charming design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller, Austria in the 1950s. Made of br...
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Walter Bosse Hand Sculpture Figurative Ashtray Pin Dish Vide Poche c. 1950s
By Walter Bosse, Herta Baller
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
A beautiful modernist vide poche or ashtray in the shape of a hand designed by Walter Bosse and probably executed by Herta Baller Austria in the 1950s.
Category
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Materials
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H 1.5 in W 5.12 in D 3.94 in
Lion Wall Hook by Walter Bosse
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Rare Walter Bosse Brass Blackened "Lying Cat" from the 1950s
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Previously Available Items
Animal Sculpture, Ashtray, Patinated Brass, in Green Patina, Walter Bosse, 1960
By Walter Bosse
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
This sculpture, Ashtray, by Walter Bosse, was made in the United States in the 1960s. It is made of patinated brass, green and gold in color. This model in the shape of a fish, is a ...
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H 2.37 in W 2.76 in D 2.37 in
Hedgehog by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller, 1950s
By Walter Bosse
Located in San Diego, CA
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Walter Bosse Figurine Shows the Neptune Sea God, circa 1950s 'marked on bottom'
By Walter Bosse, Herta Baller
Located in Wien, AT
Walter Bosse figurine shows the Neptune sea god, circa 1950s (marked on bottom)
Original condition.
Category
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Materials
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H 1.97 in W 1.19 in D 0.79 in
Walter Bosse Ashtray, Vienna, circa 1950s
By Walter Bosse, Herta Baller
Located in Wien, AT
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Original condition.
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Brass
Walter Bosse Giraffe Karlsruher Majolika
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Walter Bosse. Giraffe. Ceramic for Karlsruher Majolika. Middle sized model of the ceramic giraffes by Bosse. Measures: 24cm tall.
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Monkey Figurine with Salt Pepper Shaker by Walter Bosse
By Walter Bosse, Herta Baller
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Brass figurine blackened monkey with a salt pepper Shaker. Designed in the 1950s by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller Austria.
Excellent original condition.
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Three Midcentury Bosse Baller Chrome Coat Wall Hooks, 1950s, Austria
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Located in Biebergemund, Hessen
Beautiful Austrian Mid-Century Modern chromed solid brass hooks designed & manufactured by Walter Bosse and Herta Baller ( Bosse Baller Company ) in 1950s. Handmade chromed solid bra...
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Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Walter Bosse Furniture
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Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller, Stackable Hedgehog Ashtray Set Austria, 1950s
By Walter Bosse
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A midcentury brass stackable hedgehog set of six ashtrays. A design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of black finished brass. In very good condit...
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H 3 in W 4.5 in D 2.88 in
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Walter Bosse brass "Moritz" corkscrew
Walter Bosse (1904-1979)
This small brass figurine from the "Max and Moritz" series, Walter Bosse made...
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20th Century Vintage Fish Ashtray by Walter Bosse, 1950s
By Walter Bosse
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Walter Bosse Monkey Business Card Holder
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Walter Bosse monkey business card holder
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
Materials
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Walter Bosse Elephant Candleholder, 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Walter Bosse elephant candleholder 1950s.
Original condition.
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1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Furniture
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Walter Bosse furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Walter Bosse furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Walter Bosse furniture, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Walter Bosse were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Herta Baller, Franz Hagenauer, and Karl Hagenauer. Prices for Walter Bosse furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $111 and can go as high as $3,400, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $360.
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