Walter Bosse Brass Key Hanger Elephant and Mouse, Hertha Baller, Austria, 1950s
View Similar Items
Walter Bosse Brass Key Hanger Elephant and Mouse, Hertha Baller, Austria, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Herta Baller (Manufacturer),Walter Bosse (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 3.94 in (10 cm)Width: 8.27 in (21 cm)Depth: 0.79 in (2 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Den Haag, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU941226508632
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.
- Cubist Decorative White Plaster Sculpture, Group Hug Family, Abstract Art, 1950sLocated in Den Haag, NLCubist decorative white plaster sculpture, group hug family, abstract art, 1950s.Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsPlaster
- Ashtray Teardrop model in Brass and Wood, Austria 1950'sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Den Haag, NLAshtray Teardrop model in Brass and Wood, Austria 1950'sCategory
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- Large Decorative Brown Leather Elephant Sculpture, Mid-Century ModernBy Dimitri OmersaLocated in Den Haag, NLLarge decorative brown leather elephant sculpture, Mid-Century Modern.Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsLeather
- Bamboo and Brass Table Lamp with Silk Shade, Austria 1950'sBy Ingo Maurer, J.T. KalmarLocated in Den Haag, NLBamboo and brass table lamp with silk shade, Austria 1950's.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Velvet and Brass Magazine Rack, Italy, 1950sBy Jacques AdnetLocated in Den Haag, NLVelvet magazine rack with decorative brass feet gold color plastic rim and brass handle for ease of carrying.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Magazine Racks and Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Leather Dark Brown Elephant by Dimitro Omersa for Abercrombie & Fitch, UK, 1960sBy Dimitri OmersaLocated in Den Haag, NLLeather dark brown elephant by Dimitro Omersa for Abercrombie & Fitch, UK, 1960s.Category
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsLeather
- Walter Bosse Elephants Brass Key Hanger by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA charming and rare key holder, displaying five elephants in different sizes. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Herta Baller, Austria, in the 1950s. Also suitable as a towel holder or for dish towels...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Elephants Brass Key Hanger by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA charming and rare key holder, displaying five elephants in different sizes. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller, Austria, in the 1950s. Also suitable as a towel holder or for dish towels...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Elephants Brass Key Hanger by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA charming and rare key holder, displaying an elephant family. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller, Austria, in the 1950s. Also suitable as a towel holder or for dish...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- 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 Cow Sculpture Brass Key Hanger by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA charming and rare key holder, displaying a funny looking cow. Very large. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Herta Baller, Austria in the 1950s. Made of brass, in excel...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wall-mounted 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
