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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4.3 ★★★★★
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Product Reviews
C
Verified Purchase
Cristianne M
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
HE WON’T STOP PLAYING!!!!! Ha Ha!
Size: 3.5", Size: 3.5"
Just when I thought I couldn’t find a toy that would let me watch a 2 1/2 hour movie without interruption…. This came along!! I had to hide it overnight, but he saw where I hid it and he whined for 20 minutes until he finally went to sleep and they say dogs don’t have long-term memory well, this one as soon as I woke up was sitting right by the closet where the ball was hiding, he hasn’t let it go since ….the disco lights are fun, especially at night!!!The only thing is he’s biting the little spikes off but at least he’s spitting them out which is a good thing. Highly recommend for hours and hours of enjoyment plus it’s very bouncy.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2023
K
Verified Purchase
Katie Porter
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
Dog's best friend
Size: 3.5"
Best ball ever! My dog loves it...the only improvement could be made is a tracking device, because when he loses it he is a lost little doggo!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2026
B
Verified Purchase
Betsy
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 3
Not what I received last time!
Size: 3.5"
I ordered this the first time and received a blue spiky squeak ball with LED lights when bounced. We loved this ball - its squeak was great, the bounce, durability, and flashing LED were perfect. Eventually the LED failed, but overall we loved this ball!! So I ordered a second - this time I received a yellow spiky squeak ball (with an insanely loud obnoxious squeak!!) that has no LED light. It’s still a great ball and my dog loves it. But it’s not what I was looking for since we like to play with the ball at night and need it to light up. Durability - 10/10, it’s very sturdy and feels like it will last a long time despite my dog being a heavy chewer. And my dog absolutely loves its obnoxious squeak!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2022
M
Verified Purchase
Miss Woods
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
My dachshund’s new favorite toy!
Size: 3.5"
My dachshund absolutely LOVES this toy! The squeak, the lights, and the texture keep her entertained for long stretches of time. She carries it around nonstop and goes crazy for it every time I bring it out. It’s durable, fun, and definitely worth it if you have a playful pup who needs mental stimulation and something engaging. Highly recommend!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2025
S
Verified Purchase
Sarah Mason
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
If you were looking for a sign to buy this, here it is
Color: A) Small 2.5" Ball
If you are looking for a ball that can stand up next to a heavy, aggressive chewer.. this is a good choice. Our Pitbull literally destroyed any and every toy that she gets with the exception of one kind of kong ball. She tore through the kong Frisbees, any kind of squeaker toy, and the wobble wag giggle ball (she usually always ends up destroying these but it takes a few weeks. Today she beat her record and had her brand new ball destroyed within the first 30 minutes of us taking it out of the box). But, this ball she has not been able to destroy. I'd like to believe that the Kong ball she has and this ball are made of the same material. Because they are the only balls she can't ruin. And it's not because of a lack of trying. We have watched her sit there and chew with a side of her mouth for an hour or more, trying to make some kind of indention or tear in it and it just never happened. She loves to chew this thing, chase this thing, sleep with this thing. I most certainly recommend this ball. If it is I'ah proof then it is most certainly, 100% a durable ball and worth every penny
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Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2026

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