Walter Bosse Dwarf Midcentury Brass Wall Coat Hook, Austria, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Bosse (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 7 in (17.78 cm)Width: 3.5 in (8.89 cm)Depth: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)
- 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. Minor fading. With signs of wear as expected with age and use. Also a beautiful nice patina. Obviously this item is not new, so please check all photos before purchase.
- Seller Location:Nuernberg, DE
- 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: Nuernberg, Germany
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Walter Bosse Brass Cat Figurine Pen Holder Stand, 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 Animal Sculptures
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 Brass Cat Figurine Pen Holder Stand, 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 Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBrass, Bronze
- Walter Bosse Brass Cat Figurine Jewelry Ring Holder, 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 Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- 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 Corkscrew Horseshoe Vienna, Austria, 1950s, Mid-CenturyBy Walter BosseLocated in Nuernberg, DEClassic early 1950s Austrian Walter Bosse design corkscrew in the form of a horseshoe. Nice addition to your room or just for your collection of Austrian bronze items. Found at an es...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsBronze
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Set of 18 Midcentury Brass Wall Hooks, Austria, 1950sLocated in Nürnberg, BayernTwo different sizes, beautifully curved. A great set consisting of eighteen single hooks which can be set differently to conjure a wonderful installation on the wall. Inspired by the work of Carl...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern 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
- Two Carl Aubock Large Brass Double Wall Coat Hooks #4056, Austria, 1950sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Vienna, ATUp to two large charming Minimalist wall coat hooks, model #4056, designed and executed in the 1950s by Carl Aubock workshop, Vienna/Austria. These are authentic, vintage wall hooks...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass