Walter Bosse Hand Sculpture Figurative Ashtray Pin Dish Vide Poche c. 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Herta Baller (Manufacturer),Walter Bosse (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.5 in (3.8 cm)Width: 5.12 in (13 cm)Depth: 3.94 in (10 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:Bad Säckingen, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7989238249342
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Bad Säckingen, Germany
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 30 days of delivery.
- Walter Bosse Set of 6 Hedgehog Sculptures for Hertha Baller, Ashtray, c. 1950sBy Walter BosseLocated in Bad Säckingen, DETransform your space with a touch of mid-century elegance! This 6-Piece patinated and partially polished brass or bronze stacking hedgehog ashtray set is a true vintage gem designed ...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass, Bronze
- Figural Dog Coat Hook Walter Bosse Cast Brass / Bronze Mid Century ModernBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Bad Säckingen, DEIconic mid century modern black patinated brass or bronze figural dog coat hook, designed by Walter Bosse for Herta Baller in the 1950s/60s.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass, Bronze
- Figural Cow / Bull Coat Hook Walter Bosse Cast Brass / Bronze Mid Century ModernBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Bad Säckingen, DEIconic mid century modern black patinated brass or bronze figural cow or bull coat hook, designed by Walter Bosse for Herta Baller in the 1950s/60s.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass, Bronze
- Antique Chinese Qing Canton Enamel Pin Dish Vide Poche 19thC Qianlong StyleLocated in Bad Säckingen, DEAntique Chinese Canton enamel peach shaped dish decorated with bamboo, roses and a butterfly on a yellow ground dating to the Qing period around 1860.Category
Antique 1860s Chinese Chinoiserie Decorative Bowls
MaterialsCopper, Enamel
- 1950s Norwegian Teak Elephant Figure Sculpture Midcentury Arne Tjomsland StyleBy Arne TjomslandLocated in Bad Säckingen, DEA Minimalist hand-carved and polished teak wood elephant figurine in the style of Arne Tjomsland. This sculpture is a perfect add-on for any Mid Century interior or a perfect gift ...Category
Vintage 1950s Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsWood, Teak
- Gustavsberg Lisa Larson PALOMA Vide Poche Keep All Dish Bowl Stoneware CeramicBy GustavsbergLocated in Bad Säckingen, DELisa Larson Gustavsberg Paloma Stoneware Bowl Revive the charm of yesteryears in your home or office with the Lisa Larson Gustavsberg Paloma stoneware bowl. Designed by the renown...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
MaterialsCeramic, Stoneware
- Walter Bosse Thermometer, circa 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATWalter Bosse thermometer, circa 1950s Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Shoehorn, circa 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATWalter Bosse Shoehorn, circa 1950s polished and stove enamelled.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
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 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
- Candleholder Walter Bosse Cow, circa 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATCandleholder Walter Bosse cow Good original condition. (The candle is only for decoration for the photo shooting not for sell).Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Candleholder 'Bear', circa 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATWalter Bosse Candleholder 'Bear', circa 1950s Original condition The candle is not included it is only for the photoshootingCategory
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass