Brass Kitten Cat Walter Bosse Blackened Brass with Hertha Baller, Vienna
View Similar Items
Brass Kitten Cat Walter Bosse Blackened Brass with Hertha Baller, Vienna
About the Item
- Creator:Herta Baller (Designer),Walter Bosse (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.97 in (5 cm)Diameter: 1.86 in (4.7 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:Brass,Blackened
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Unknown
- Condition:
- Seller Location:LA Arnhem, NL
- Reference Number:Seller: 70301stDibs: LU932910018163
Herta Baller
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.
- Walter Bosse Cow Candleholder, Hertha Baller, Blackened Brass, 1960By Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA candleholder in the form of a cow by Walter Bosse and manufactured by Hertha Baller, Austria, Vienna, in midcentury, circa 1960 (late 1950s or early 1960s). The candleholder is made of blackened and polished brass. It can be used for small ball shaped candles. This piece is an eyecatchers in every room. About Walter Bosse and Hertha Baller: Walter Bosse (November 13, 1904-December 13, 1979) was a Viennese artist, designer, ceramist, potter, metalworker, and craftsman noted for his modernist bronze animal...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Cat Ring Holder for Hertha Baller Blackened Brass, 1950'sBy Walter BosseLocated in San Diego, CARare Walter Bosse cat ring holder circa 1950's nicely patinated, some brass left from the original finish some scratches and painting it's off as shown.Category
Late 20th Century Austrian Art Deco Animal Sculptures
MaterialsMetal
- Walter Bosse Brass Key Hanger Donkey, Dog, Cat and Cock, Hertha Baller, AustriaBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Wien, ATWalter Bosse brass key hanger donkey, dog, cat and cock, Hertha Baller, Austria.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter bosse for herta Baller cat figurine vienna around 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Wien, ATWalter bosse for herta Baller cat figurine vienna around 1950s Original conditionCategory
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Hedgehog Sculpture by Walter Bosse for Hertha BallerBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATHedgehog by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsMetal
- Rare Walter Bosse Brass Blackened "Lying Cat" from the 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATRare Walter Bosse Brass Blackened "Lying Cat" From The 1950s, can be used as a holder (candle)Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
$220 Sale Price60% Off