Walter Bosse Brass Key Hanger Donkey, Dog, Cat and Cock, Hertha Baller, Austria
View Similar Items
Walter Bosse Brass Key Hanger Donkey, Dog, Cat and Cock, Hertha Baller, Austria
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Bosse (Designer),Herta Baller (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 10 in (25.4 cm)Width: 8 in (20.32 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 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: LU101522136452
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.
- Walter Bosse Brass Key Hanger Donkey, Dog, Cat and Cock, Herta Baller, AustriaBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA charming and rare key holder, displaying a donkey, a dog, a cat and a cock. Together they are the "town musicians of Bremen", from a fairy tale by the Grimm brothers. A very humoro...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Brass Key Hanger Donkey, Dog, Cat and Cock, Herta Baller, AustriaBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA charming and rare key holder, displaying a donkey, a dog, a cat and a cock. Together they are the "town musicians of Bremen", from a fairy tale by the Grimm brothers. A very humoro...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Elephants Brass Key Hanger by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA charming and rare key holder, displaying five elephants in different sizes. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller, Austria, in the 1950s. Also suitable as a towel holder or for dish towels...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Elephants Brass Key Hanger by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA charming and rare key holder, displaying an elephant family. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller, Austria, in the 1950s. Also suitable as a towel holder or for dish...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Elephants Brass Key Hanger by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA charming and rare key holder, displaying five elephants in different sizes. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Herta Baller, Austria, in the 1950s. Also suitable as a towel holder or for dish towels...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Brass Key Hanger Sea God and Mermaid, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA charming and rare key holder, displaying a sea god and a mermaid. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of brass, in good condition with nice patina. Also suitable as a towel holder or for dish towels...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Mounted Objects
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Brass Key Hanger Donkey, Dog, Cat and Cock, Hertha Baller, AustriaBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Wien, ATWalter Bosse brass key hanger donkey, dog, cat and cock, Hertha Baller, Austria.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Toothpick Holder Donkey Set, Black Brass Glass, Hertha Baller, 1950By Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA toothpick holder set in the form of a donkey designed by Walter Bosse and manufactured by Hertha Baller, Austria, Vienna, in midcentury in 1950s. The donkey is made of patinated and aged blackened brass. The toothpick holders are made of glass. This charming piece is an eyecatcher for every kitchen or dining table. About Walter Bosse and Hertha Baller: Walter Bosse (November 13, 1904–December 13, 1979) was a Viennese artist, designer, ceramist, potter, metalworker, and craftsman noted for his modernist bronze animal figurines...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Salt Pepper Donkey Set, Black Brass Teak Wood, Hertha Baller, 1950By Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA salt and pepper shaker donkey set designed by Walter Bosse and manufactured by Hertha Baller, Austria, Vienna, in midcentury in 1950s. The donkey is made of blackened brass. The shakers are made of teak wood. This charming piece is an eyecatcher for every kitchen or dining table. About Walter Bosse and Hertha Baller: Walter Bosse (November 13, 1904–December 13, 1979) was a Viennese artist, designer, ceramist, potter, metalworker, and craftsman noted for his modernist bronze animal figurines...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Rare Walter Bosse Key Hanger MonkeysBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Wien, ATRare Walter Bosse key hanger monkeys Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Mounted Objects
MaterialsBrass
- Rare Walter Bosse Key Hanger MonkeysBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Wien, ATRare Walter Bosse key hanger monkeys Original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Mounted Objects
MaterialsBrass
- Cow Sculpture Brass Key Hanger Design by Walter Bosse, Hertha Balle Austria 50sBy Walter BosseLocated in Lucija, SIVery Special and Rare Key Holder, displaying a funny looking cow. Very large. This is a original piece, not a reproduction. Designed by Walter Bosse, manufactured by Hertha Baller...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
