Walter Bosse Three Zoo Brass Wall Hooks, Rabbit, Cat & Lion, Herta Baller Vienna
View Similar Items
Walter Bosse Three Zoo Brass Wall Hooks, Rabbit, Cat & Lion, Herta Baller Vienna
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Bosse (Designer),Herta Baller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 7 in (17.78 cm)Width: 3.5 in (8.89 cm)Depth: 4 in (10.16 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 3
- 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:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1015237131642
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 5 Cat Zoo Brass Animal Wall Hooks by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATUp to five lovely Austrian modernist animal zoo coat wall hooks, displaying a cat, our favourite hook. The hooks are sold and priced per piece. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, exe...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Cow Zoo Mid-Century Brass Wall Hook, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA lovely Austrian modernist animal coat wall hook, displaying a cow. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of black finished and par...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
- 8x Mid-Century Brass Double Wall Hooks by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATUp to 8 beautiful modernist wall hooks from the 1950s, made of solid black-finished and partly polished brass. Executed by Hertha Baller Vienna in Austria. To be used as coat hooks,...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
- Up to 10 Midcentury Brass Double Wall Hooks by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATUp to ten beautiful Austrian modernist brass wall hooks, executed in the 1950s by Hertha Baller, Austria. Made of black finished and partly polished brass, very solid, in good condit...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Up to Six Mid-Century Brass Wall Coat Hooks by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATUp to six beautiful and elegant modernist brass wall hooks in the style of Carl Aubock. Executed in the 1950s by Hertha Baller, Austria. Solid brass, partly polished and partly black...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Three Midcentury Brass Wall Coat Hooks by Herta Baller Vienna Austria, 1950sBy Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATA set of three beautiful brass wall hooks, executed in the 1950s by Hertha Baller, Austria. Gently polished by hand, in very good condition with nice patina. The price is for the set...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Cat Wall Hook by Walter BosseBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATBrass hook "cat" by Walter Bosse for Hertha Baller, Vienna from the 1950s. Used but in very good vintage condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
$300 / item - Walter Bosse Dwarf Midcentury Brass Wall Coat Hook, Austria, 1950sBy Walter BosseLocated in Nuernberg, DEA midcentury brass wall coat hook, displaying a dwarf. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of black...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
- 8 Pcs., Wall Hooks, Brass, Hertha Baller Vienna, AustriaBy Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATEight wall hooks designed by Hertha Baller.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
- 5 Pcs., Wall Hooks, Brass Blackened, Hertha Baller Vienna, AustriaBy Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATFive wall hooks designed by Hertha Baller.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
- 5 Pcs, Wall Hooks, Brass Blackened, Hertha Baller Vienna, AustriaBy Herta BallerLocated in Vienna, ATFive wall hooks designed by Hertha Baller.Category
Mid-20th Century Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
- Set of Five Coat Rack in Cat Shape, Brass Blackened, Walter Bosse Vienna AustriaBy Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA set of 5 coat racks designed by Walter Bosse in cat shape. Brass partially blackened.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
