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Walter Bosse Animal Sculptures

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.

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Creator: Walter Bosse
Huge Walter Bosse Pottery Ceramic Horse Sculpture, Austria, 1950s
By Walter Bosse
Located in Vienna, AT
A lovely and huge handmade figurine / statue displaying a horse dated from 1947 to 1951. Designed by Walter Bosse, made of ceramic / terracotta in Kufst...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Walter Bosse Animal Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware, Terracotta

Mid-Century Brass Shoehorn by Walter Bosse
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Vienna, AT
Blackened brass with caw motif designed by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller in the 1950s. Perfect original condition.
Category

1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Animal Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Miniature Cat Figurine by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
By Walter Bosse
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Classic 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

1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Animal Sculptures

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Walter Bosse Elephant Figurine with Thermometer by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Vienna, AT
A charming Austrian desk thermometer, consisting of a lovely elephant figurine and a lantern-shaped thermometer. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse,...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Walter Bosse Animal Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Walter Bosse animal sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Walter Bosse animal sculptures 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 animal sculptures, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original animal sculptures 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 animal sculptures by Herta Baller, Richard Rohac, and Werkstätte Hagenauer Wien. Prices for Walter Bosse animal sculptures can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $120 and can go as high as $3,400, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $357.

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