Hedgehog Stackable Ashtray by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller
View Similar Items
Hedgehog Stackable Ashtray by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller
About the Item
- Creator:Herta Baller (Manufacturer),Walter Bosse (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 2.37 in (6 cm)Width: 3.15 in (8 cm)Depth: 5.12 in (13 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Bronze,Silvered
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1955
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. See Detailed pictures.
- Seller Location:Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
- Reference Number:Seller: A3391stDibs: LU89437479983
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.
- Sculpture by Walter Bosse, Ashtray in Brass, Austria circa 1960, Old PatinaBy Walter BosseLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FRThis ashtray is a sculpture from walter bosse, it is in Bronze with a green and gold patina. it has been done circa 1950 in Wien.Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Ashtray in Leather and Ceramic by Longchamp ParisBy LongchampLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FRAshtray in leather and ceramic by Longchamp Paris.Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
MaterialsCeramic, Leather
$390 Sale Price20% Off - Exceptional Ashtray or Bowl by Dino MartensBy Dino MartensLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FRRare beautiful colors and glints for this exceptional ashtray or bowl by Dino Martens, in Murano Glass in the tradition of Italians greats manufacturers like Venini.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Rococo Revival Decorative Bowls
MaterialsArt Glass
$542 Sale Price50% Off - Cat Brass Ashtray or BowlLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR1950 vintage cat brass ashtray or bowl. This can be used as a sculpture too.Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- 1960 Solid Brass Ashtray, SignedLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR1960 solid brass ashtray, signed. Brass sculpture, Vide Poche, decorative object.Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- 1950 Brutalist Wood Ashtray / CentrepieceBy George Nakashima, Alexandre NollLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR1950 Brutalist wood ashtray / centrepiece, in the style of Noll, or Nakashima.Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
MaterialsWood
- Walter Bosse Asymmetrical Modernist Black Brass Ashtray by Herta Baller, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA stylish modernist ashtray with amazing asymmetrical shape. Designed by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of brass, in good condition with nice patina.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- Ashtray by Walter Bosse Vienna Around 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATAshtray by walter bosse vienna around 1950s Marked on Bottom.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Fish Midcentury Brass Ashtray or Bowl, Herta Baller, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA charming modernist bowl or ashtray in the shape of a fish. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of brass, in excellent condi...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Vintage Brass Hand Ashtray for Herta BallerBy Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATThis elegant and heavy ashtray by Walter Bosse for Herta Baller (Model 844) is an original Austrian Mid-Century piece of sculptural character. The object...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- 2 Ashtrays by Walter Bosse Vienna Around 1950s 'Marked'By Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, AT2 Ashtrays by Walter Bosse Vienna around 1950s Original condition Pair price.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Fish Mid-Century Brass Bowl Ashtray Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA charming modernist brass bowl or ashtray in the shape of a fish. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of brass, in good condition...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
$290 Sale Price39% OffFree Shipping