Mermaid by Walter Bosse
View Similar Items
Mermaid by Walter Bosse
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Bosse (Designer),Herta Baller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 2.37 in (6 cm)Diameter: 1.97 in (5 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Brass,Blackened
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Wien, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU107184555633
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.
- Cat Figurine by Walter BosseBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATCat figurine by Walter Bosse Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Rocking Horse by Walter BosseBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATRocking horse by Walter Bosse Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Cow Pen Holder by Walter BosseBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATCow pen holder by Walter Bosse Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Cow Pen Holder by Walter BosseBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATRare rooster pen holder by Walter Bosse (the feather is not for sale she is decoration for the picture) Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Small Fox Figurine by Walter BosseBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATSmall fox figurine by Walter Bosse Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Shoehorn Shows a Mouse by Walter BosseBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATShoehorn shows a mouse by Walter Bosse Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Mermaid and Fish Wall Sculpture by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA lovely Mid-Century wall-mounted brass sculpture, displaying a mermaid and a fish on a frame, made of black-finished brass. Designed by Walter Bosse, manufactured in the 1950s by He...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wall-mounted Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Business Cards Holder by Walter BosseBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATBrass ebonized "siting cat" card holder designed by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller in the 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Brass Key Hanger Sea God and Mermaid, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA charming and rare key holder, displaying a sea god and a mermaid. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of brass, in good condition with nice patina. Also suitable as a towel holder or for dish towels...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Mounted Objects
MaterialsBrass
- Hedgehog Sculpture by Walter Bosse for Hertha BallerBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATHedgehog by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsMetal
- 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
$1,977 Sale Price / set21% Off - Cat Figurine with Shovel and Rake by Walter BosseBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATBrass figurine blackened with a shovel and rake. Designed in the 1950s by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller Austria. Excellent original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass