Walter Bosse Cow Brass Cork Screw Bottle Opener, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Bosse (Designer),Herta Baller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 3 in (7.62 cm)Width: 3 in (7.62 cm)Depth: 3 in (7.62 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU101528550413
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: Vienna, Austria
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Walter Bosse Cow Brass Cork Screw Bottle Opener, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA charming midcentury bottle opener/cork screw, displaying a cow. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Herta Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of polished brass, in ve...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Dwarf Brass Cork Screw Bottle Opener, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA charming Mid-Century bottle opener/cork screw, displaying a dwarf. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of black-finished brass, ...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Dwarf Brass Cork Screw Bottle Opener, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA charming midcentury bottle opener/cork screw, displaying a dwarf. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of black-finished brass, i...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Rabbit Brass Cork Screw Bottle Opener, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950By Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA charming Mid-Century bottle opener / cork screw, displaying a rabbit. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of polished brass...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Midcentury Cow Brass Figurine, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA little cow sculpture made of brass from the 1950s. Designed by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller. In good condition with charming patina on the brass.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Midcentury Calf Cow Brass Figurine, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA lovely calf / baby cow sculpture made of brass from the 1950s. Designed by Walter Bosse, executed by Herta Baller, Austria. In very good condition with marginal patina.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Bottle Opener, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Wien, ATWalter Bosse cat bottle opener, 1950s Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass, Nickel, Metal
- Bottle Opener by Walter Bosse, circa 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATBottle opener by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s. Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Walter Bosse Brass Cat Figurine Bottle Stopper Pourer, Baller Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Nuernberg, DEClassic early 1950s Austrian Bosse cat Figurine Collectible. Nice addition to your room or just for your collection of Austrian bronze items. Found at an estate sale in Vienna, Austr...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass, Bronze
- Walter Bosse Brass Cat Figurine Bottle Stopper Pourer, Baller Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Nuernberg, DEClassic early 1950s Austrian Bosse cat Figurine Collectible. Nice addition to your room or just for your collection of Austrian bronze items. Found at an estate sale in Vienna, Austr...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass, Bronze
- Walter Bosse Bottle Opener Shows a Elephant Vienna Around 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATWalter Bosse Bottle Opener Shows a Elephant Vienna Around 1950s Original conditionCategory
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass
- Rare bottle opener from walter bosse vienna around 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Wien, ATRare bottle opener from walter bosse vienna around 1950s Original conditionCategory
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBrass
