- Want more images or videos?Request additional images or videos from the seller
Walter Bosse Set of 6 Hedgehog Sculptures for Hertha Baller, circa 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Bosse (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 4.34 in (11 cm)Width: 2.76 in (7 cm)Depth: 2.76 in (7 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Minor losses. On one of the hedgehogs, a quill is broken.
- Seller Location:LIMOGNE-EN-QUERCY, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6629231250182
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.
Shipping & Returns
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Camblanes, France
- Return Policy
A return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Mid-Century Murano Glass Ashtray or Bowl by Flavio Poli, Faceted Murano GlassBy Flavio PoliLocated in LIMOGNE-EN-QUERCY, FRMid-Century Murano Glass ashtray or bowl by Flavio Poli - Faceted Murano Glass This is a beautiful Murano glass ashtray or bwol. It is made according to the technique of sommerso ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-P...
MaterialsMurano Glass, Art Glass
- Robert Picault, Set of Two Ceramic Dishes, Signed, Vallauris, France, 1950sBy Robert PicaultLocated in LIMOGNE-EN-QUERCY, FRRobert Picault, set of two ceramic dishes, signed, Vallauris, France 1950s Two large dishes enamelled in white, green and brown tones. Geometric decorations. In very good cond...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
MaterialsEnamel
$1,774 Sale Price20% Off - Set of Mid-Century French Ceramics Tapis Vert Studio, Vase Bowl Vallauris, 1950sBy Tapis VertLocated in LIMOGNE-EN-QUERCY, FRSet of Mid-Century French Ceramics Tapis Vert Studio, Vase Bowl Vallauris, 1950s Two beautiful pieces of the french studio pottery Tapis Vert, based in Vallauris. These pieces are ...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- Mithé Espelt, Mid-Century French Ceramic Mirror, circa 1950s, Era Line VautrinBy Mithé EspeltLocated in LIMOGNE-EN-QUERCY, FRMithé Espelt, Mid-century French ceramic mirror, circa 1950s, era Line Vautrin Modèle Patio - Circa 1956 Ref : Antoine Candau, Mithé Espelt, Edition Odyssée, Graulhet 2020, same...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsEnamel
$2,412 Sale Price25% Off - Maison Lunel, Pair of Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights, 1950s, FranceBy LunelLocated in LIMOGNE-EN-QUERCY, FRMaison Lunel - pair of Mid-Century Modern wall lights - 1950s France. Very nice pair of sconces in the 50's design. They are all in contrast: the luminous and milky whiteness of...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern More Lighting
MaterialsBrass, Metal
- French Ceramic Purple Ball Vase by Marc Uzan, circa 2000By Marc UzanLocated in LIMOGNE-EN-QUERCY, FRFrench ceramic ball vase by Marc Uzan - circa 2000 Delicate enamelling in shades of purple - Ring neck. Signed under the base. Very good condition. -------------------------- ...Category
Early 2000s French Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsEnamel
- Walter Bosse Hedgehog Stackable Brass Ashtrays, Hertha Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA complete set of six vintage stackable midcentury hedgehog ashtrays. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller, Austria in the 1950s. Made of brass, in good ...Category
Mid-20th Century 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
- Mid-Century Metal Ashtray in the Shape of a Hedgehog, 1960'sLocated in Praha, CZ- made in Czechoslovakia - made of metal - good, original condition.Category
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern More Desk Accessories
MaterialsMetal
- Walter Bosse, Orange Rabbit, Austrian Art Deco Ceramic Sculpture, Ca. 1930By Walter BosseLocated in New York, NYABOUT ARTIST Walter Bosse (Austrian, 1904 – 1979) was a Viennese artist, designer, ceramist, potter, metalworker, and craftsman noted for his modernist bronze animal figurines and g...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Animal Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic
- Vintage Sinus Stackable Ashtray by Walter Zeischegg, 1966By Walter ZeischeggLocated in Brooklyn, NYDesigned by Walter Zeischegg and originally produced by Hellit of Germany in 1966, the iconic Sinus stackable ashtray came in an array of colors. A excellent Pop/Op Art artifact that...Category
Late 20th Century Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsPlastic
- Walter Bosse Hedgehog Stackable Brass Ashtrays, Hertha Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA complete set of six vintage stackable midcentury hedgehog ashtrays. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller, Austria in the 1950s. Made of brass, in good ...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Fish Midcentury Brass Ashtray or Bowl, Hertha 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 Asymmetrical Modernist Black Brass Ashtray by Hertha 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
- Walter Bosse Fish Mid-Century Brass Ashtray, by Hertha Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA charming modernist 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 condition wit...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Sculptural Brass Hand Bowl or Ashtray, Hertha Baller, Austria, 1950By Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA beautiful sculptural modernist brass bowl in the shape of a hand. Originally designed as an ashtray this elegant brass object is also suitable as a jewelry bowl, a ring holder or a...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Donkey Salt and Pepper Shaker Set, Hertha Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA charming Austrian Mid-Century shaker set, displaying a donkey. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of metal and wood. In go...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsMetal
Recently Viewed
View MoreThe 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Trusted Global Delivery