DONKEY Walter Bosse figurines brass patinated new Vienna Austria
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Bosse (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.58 in (4 cm)Width: 1.38 in (3.5 cm)Depth: 1.58 in (4 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Brass,Patinated
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2024
- Production Type:New & Custom(Re-Edition)
- Estimated Production Time:Available Now
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:
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 movement.
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 figurines Elephant brass patinated new Vienna AustriaBy Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATIn 2000 a Viennese public house released the first monograph about Walter Bosse. Illustrated with various pictures it shows his highly creative potential and his influence and impact...Category
2010s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse figurine BOAR brass patinated new Vienna AustriaBy Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATBoar. New production made in Austria. The figurine is special in its own way and requires 14 work steps. It is a "lost wax casting" piece. Model number BO21 In 2000 a Viennese publi...Category
2010s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Giraffe Walter Bosse figurines brass patinated new Vienna AustriaBy Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATIn 2000 a Viennese public house released the first monograph about Walter Bosse. Illustrated with various pictures it shows his highly creative potential and his influence and impact...Category
2010s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse figurine BULL brass patinated new Vienna AustriaBy Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATFigurine: Bull Taurus. New production made in Austria. The figurine is special in its own way and requires 14 work steps. It is a "lost wax casting" piece. Model number 6094 In 200...Category
2010s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse figurines Duck brass patinated new Vienna AustriaBy Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATIn 2000 a Viennese public house released the first monograph about Walter Bosse. Illustrated with various pictures it shows his highly creative potential and his influence and impact...Category
2010s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse figurine Penguin brass patinated new Vienna AustriaBy Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATPenguin. New production made in Austria. The figurine is special in its own way and requires 14 work steps. It is a "lost wax casting" piece. In 2000 a Viennese public house release...Category
2010s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Bosse Donkey Brass Figurine Pen Holder, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950sBy Herta Baller, Walter BosseLocated in Vienna, ATA very charming Austrian midcentury pen or pencil holder, displaying a donkey. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse executed by Herta Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of brass in ...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Elephant Figurine with Thermometer Walter Bosse, Vienna Austria 1960s MidcenturyBy Walter BosseLocated in Nuernberg, DEClassic early 1960s Austrian figurine, designed by Walter Bosse. Nice addition to your room, on your desk top or just for your collection of Austrian midcentury items. Charming, big ...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Elephant Figurine with Thermometer Walter Bosse, Vienna Austria 1960s MidcenturyBy Walter BosseLocated in Nuernberg, DEClassic early 1960s Austrian figurine, designed by Walter Bosse. Nice addition to your room, on your desk top or just for your collection of Austrian midcentury items. Charming, big ...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Small Walter Bosse Sagittarius Zodiac Brass Figurine, Austria, 1950sBy Walter Bosse, Herta BallerLocated in Wien, ATSmall Walter Bosse Sagittarius Zodiac Brass Figurine, Austria, 1950s Original conditionCategory
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Cute Cow Figurine with Thermometer Walter Bosse, Vienna Austria 1960s MidCenturyBy Walter BosseLocated in Nuernberg, DEClassic early 1960s Austrian figurine, designed by Walter Bosse. Nice addition to your room, on your desk top or just for your collection of Austrian midcentury items. Charming, big and solid this cow figurine...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
- Large Pony Horse Figurine Statue Walter Bosse, Vienna Austria, 1960s MidcenturyBy Walter BosseLocated in Nuernberg, DEClassic early 1960s Austrian figurine, designed by Walter Bosse. Nice addition to your room, on your desk top or just for your collection of Austrian midcentury items. Charming, big ...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass