Sculpture by Walter Bosse, Ashtray in Brass, Austria circa 1960, Old Patina
View Similar Items
Sculpture by Walter Bosse, Ashtray in Brass, Austria circa 1960, Old Patina
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Bosse (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 3.15 in (8 cm)Width: 3.15 in (8 cm)Depth: 3.55 in (9 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Brass,Patinated
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. See detailed pictures.
- Seller Location:Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
- Reference Number:Seller: A9981stDibs: LU894328511642
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.
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.
- 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
- Sculpture by Max le Verrier, Ashtray in Brass, France circa 1960, Old PatinaBy Max Le VerrierLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FRSculpture by Max le Verrier, Ashtray in Brass, France circa 1960, Old PatinaCategory
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Solid Brass Ashtray Beatiful PatinaLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR1960 solid brass ashtray. Brass sculpture, Vide Poche, decorative object.Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- Cat Brass Ashtray or BowlLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR1950 vintage cat brass ashtray or bowl. This can be used as a sculpture too.Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- 1960 Vide Poche Sculpture in Wood, Animals Holding a BowlLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FRAfrican Vide Poche and sculpture, withanAnimals holding a bowl in wood, 1960 Sculpture in wood.Category
Vintage 1960s Beninese Minimalist Ashtrays
MaterialsWood
- 1960 Vide Poche Sculpture in Wood , Head of WomanLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FRAfrican Vide Poche and sculpture, withan woman head, in wood, 1960 ashtray, sculpture in wood.Category
Vintage 1960s Beninese Minimalist Ashtrays
MaterialsWood
- Walter Bosse Midcentury Fish Sculpture Brass Ashtray, Austria, 1950sBy Werkstätte Hagenauer Wien, Walter BosseLocated 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
- 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 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 Hedgehog Stackable Brass Ashtrays, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA 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...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Animal Sculptures, Austria, 1950By Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Munich, DESet of beautiful sculptures made of brass designed by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller, Austria in the 1950s. These brilliant figurines by Walter Bosse represent seminal works...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
$1,965 Sale Price / set21% Off - Walter Bosse Woman in Biedermeier Dress Mural Brass Sculpture, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA lovely midcentury mural, displaying a woman in a Biedermeier dress with umbrella in front of the Gloriette in Vienna, all made of brass. A beautif...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wall-mounted Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
