SKU: 9510150491

WALTER BOSSE ‘GOLD BLACK LINE’ ELEPHANT FIGURINE (AUSTRIA)

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WALTER BOSSE ‘GOLD BLACK LINE’ ELEPHANT FIGURINE (AUSTRIA)A classic vintage trumpeting elephant by Walter Bosse for Herta Baller from the 1950s "Black Gold Line" of brass figures WALTER BOSSE was born November 13, 1904, in Vienna, to the artists Luise and Julius Bosse. His father worked as a portrait painter at the imperial court. Walter Bosse attended the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule, now the University of Applied Arts Vienna, from 1918 to 1921, where he studied ceramics under Michael Powolny, and ornament

A classic vintage trumpeting elephant by Walter Bosse for Herta Baller from the 1950s "Black Gold Line" of brass figures

WALTER BOSSE was born November 13, 1904, in Vienna, to the artists Luise and Julius Bosse. His father worked as a portrait painter at the imperial court.

Walter Bosse attended the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule, now the University of Applied Arts Vienna, from 1918 to 1921, where he studied ceramics under Michael Powolny, and ornament under Franz Cižek.  He then attended the Munich School of Applied Arts (Münchner Kunstgewerbeschule).  During his schooling he was given the opportunity to sell his work at the Wiener Werkstätte by Josef Hoffmann, who became a mentor to Bosse. Bosse opened his own shop in Kufstein in 1923.

Bosse's work grew in popularity and a number of his pieces were shown at the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts in 1925. He started designing for Augarten Porcelain Works (1924), as well as Goldscheider (1926) and Metzler and Ortloff (1927). In 1931, to meet increasing demand (especially in America), Bosse opened up a bigger shop in Kufstein, but by 1933 he started to feel the effects of the economic depression. By 1937, the Kufstein works were closed.

In 1938, now divorced, Bosse moved back 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 craft 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 exploring a new style of brass called the “Black Gold Line” or "Black Golden Line" of brass figurines.  He transitioned all of his efforts to brass and the figures became popular worldwide.  Despite Bosse's success with his brass figures, it was still a difficult time for him financially. In 1953, partly fleeing from financial troubles, he moved to Iserlohn, Germany where he set up a new shop and continued production. In Vienna, the Herta Baller Company continued to make and sell Bosse's designs.  Bosse also collaborated with Karlsruhe State Majolika Works on a number of pottery animal figures.

In 1958, he designed for Achait Schirmer in Cologne.  Bosse also turned his efforts to small, everyday items such as letter openers, keyrings, corkscrews, and pencil holders, all of which bear the distinctive "black and gold" look.

A number of Bosse's designs began to gain widespread popularity internationally, particularly his brass hedgehog ashtrays and hand-shaped bowls. But the designs' success led to forgeries popping up worldwide. His hedgehog ashtrays were reproduced by many forgers in various countries and with varying degrees of precision.  To protect his designs, he engaged in court battles which would last the rest of his life and deplete most of his money.  Because of these cases, he is considered to be a seminal figure relating to modern copyright law for designer goods.

The last years of Bosse's life saw him devoting much of his time and money to his legal disputes and on December 17, 1979, Bosse died with no money to his name in Iserlohn, Germany. His oeuvre consists of about 8,000 models and designs, of which about 3,000 are ceramic

Designer Walter Bosse
Manufacturer Herta Baller
Design Period 1950 to 1959
Production Period Unknown
Country of Manufacture Austria
Identifying Marks This piece has been attributed based on archival documentation, such as vintage catalogs, designer records, or other literature sources
Style Vintage, Mid-Century, Minimalist
Detailed Condition Excellent — This vintage piece is in near original condition. It may show minimal traces of use and/or have slight restorations.
Product Code
Materials Brass
Color Black, gold
Width 2.3 inch
Depth 1.0 inch
Height 1.8 inch
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SKU: 9510150491

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★★★★★ 5
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Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2026
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Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2026
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joshua nieves
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★★★★★ 5
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Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
Excellent quality, comfortable for 8+ hour days
Color: Grey, Color: Grey
Since the reviews here were so very helpful to me, I decided to leave my own after using this chair a couple days. To summarize: Overall, I am thrilled with this chair and would recommend! I work remote, in a small apartment and this works well for both space saving and silence when rolling over hardwood floors all day. For more details, read on! It came packaged very nicely, so everything was well protected during shipping. There are no written instructions and to be honest, I didn't even look for them. If you've put one together before, this is pretty standard. The "leather" (not genuine, but feels like it) is thick and seems it will be sturdy for a long time. The padding is exceptional and that's the main reason I needed a new chair, as mine (a 'basic' brand one, IYKYK) only lasted one year before it felt like sitting on a hard plastic seat. The height is adjustable to go up higher than most, so for once I didn't have to raise it all the way to feel comfy. The surprisingly great thing about it is the arms that flip up, so I can push it all the way under my desk. I live in a small apartment, so every bit of space saved is a bonus! Speaking of apartments, the wheels on this are whisper quiet and I'm more than certain the neighbor below me is thrilled to not hear my clunky wheels from the other chair anymore. I was hesitant to pay too much for an office chair, but given the price and the quality, I feel it was an excellent purchase. A few items to note, if you have never put one together before: hand tighten the screws first! Don't put them on full force, until the pieces have been mostly assembled. This will help it not come out lopsided and the holes will be a little easier to line up. Watch the video, it will make the process a little easier (unlike what I did - put the arms on correctly, thought that looked wrong, then put them on backwards and lost my mind LOL). The video will also show how to recline the chair, if you like that (I do). It has a recline that's smooth as butter.
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