Walter Bosse Ceramic Sculpture Around 1950s
View Similar Items
Walter Bosse Ceramic Sculpture Around 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Bosse (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 4.73 in (12 cm)Width: 3.55 in (9 cm)Depth: 5.12 in (13 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Wien, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1071827739232
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.
- Small Penguin by Walter Bosse, Around 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATSmall penguin by Walter bosse, around 1950s Marked Austria on Bottom Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Owl Figurine by Walter Bosse Around 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATOwl figurine by walter bosse around 1950s Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Cat Figurine by Walter Bosse, Vienna, Around 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATCat figurine by Walter Bosse, Vienna, around 1950s Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Small Walter Bosse Cat Figurine Around 1950s, 'Marked'By Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATSmall Walter bosse cat figurine around 1950s Brass, Nickel - plated Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass, Nickel
- Bear Bottle Stopper by Walter Bosse around 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATBear Bottle Stopper by Walter Bosse around 1950s Original conditionCategory
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Owls Bottle Stopper by Walter Bosse around 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATOwls Bottle Stopper by Walter Bosse around 1950s Original conditionCategory
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Huge Walter Bosse Pottery Ceramic Horse Sculpture, Austria, 1950sBy Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA 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 Animal Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic, Pottery, Stoneware, Terracotta
- Walter Bosse Midcentury Fish Sculpture Brass Ashtray, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Werkstätte Hagenauer WienLocated 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 Animal Sculptures, Austria, 1950By Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated 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
$1,953 Sale Price / set21% Off - Walter Bosse Paragraph Lawyer Brass Sculpture, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA Midcentury brass figurine, displaying a paragraph form the 1950s. Designed by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller, Austria. In very g...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Brass Giraffe Sculpture Figurine, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA charming mid century giraffe figurine, made of brass. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed in the 1950s by Hertha Baller Austria. In excelle...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Woman in Biedermeier Dress Mural Brass Sculpture, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated 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
