Rare Set of 6 Wall Sculpture Ceramics by Walter Bosse, 1930s

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Rare Set of 6 Wall Sculpture Ceramics by Walter Bosse, 1930s

About the Item

Beautiful and very rare set of 6 panel wall sculpture ceramic by Walter Bosse and manufactured in 1930s in Germany. 1930s Goldschneider Majolika - Karlsruher Majolica. Walter Bosse attended the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule, now the Vienna University of Applied Arts, from 1918 to 1921, where he studied ceramics under Michael Powolny, and ornamentation under Franz Cižek. He then attended the Munich School of Applied Arts (Münchner Kunstgewerbeschule). During his education he was given the opportunity to sell his work to the Wiener Werkstätte by Josef Hoffmann, who became Bosse's mentor. Bosse opened his own store in Kufstein in 1923. Bosse's work grew in popularity and several of his pieces were shown at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in 1925. He began designing for the Augarten Porcelain Works (1924), as well as for Goldscheider Majolika (1926) and Metzler and Ortloff. (1927). In 1931, to meet the growing demand (especially in the United States), Bosse opened a larger store in Kufstein, but in 1933 he began to feel the effects of the economic depression. In 1937, the Kufstein works were closed. In 1938, now divorced, Bosse returned to Vienna, where he founded Bosse Ceramics (Bosse-Keramik), which expanded under the new name "Terra" to include glass, toys, textiles. and a variety of handcrafted items for the gift market. In the late 1940s, Bosse began experimenting with brass by giving his ceramic figures a metal coating to protect them from breakage. He formed a partnership with Herta Baller, whose company (the Herta Baller Company) manufactured and marketed the brass figurines, this collaboration was called the Bosse/Baller Company. In the early 1950s, Bosse and Baller began to explore a new style of brass called the "Black Gold Line" or "Black Golden Line" of brass figures. He transitioned all of his efforts into brass and the figures became popular throughout the world. Despite Bosse's success with his bronze figures, it was still a difficult time for him financially. In 1953, fleeing partly from financial problems, he moved to Iserlohn, Germany, where he established a new store and continued production. In Vienna, the Herta Baller Company continued to make and sell Bosse's designs. Bosse also collaborated with the Karlsruhe State Majolika Works on a series of ceramic animal figures. In 1958, he designed for Achatit Schirmer in Cologne. Bosse also directed his efforts at small, everyday items like letter openers, key rings, corkscrews, and pencil holders, all of which have the distinctive "black and gold" look.

Creator:
Walter Bosse (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 7.49 in (19 cm)Width: 5.12 in (13 cm)Depth: 0.79 in (2 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 6
Materials and Techniques:
Ceramic
Place of Origin:
Germany
Period:
1930-1939
Date of Manufacture:
1930
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
L'Escala, ES
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1982333627572

Shop All Walter Bosse

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.