Born in 1904 to academic painter parents, Bosse was always surrounded by creativity. He and his sister found a fascination with forming from an early age. Bosse studied at the Imperial Art School of the Museum of Art in Vienna under Franz Cizek and Michael Powolny and at the School of Applied Arts in Munich under Richard Riemerschmid. His first international appearance was at the 1925 Paris Exhibition of Decorative Arts which opened Bosse up to work for such institutions as Wiener Werkstätte, Augarten, Goldscheider and Metzler and Ortloff.

Initially, Bosse worked in ceramic but ended up finding “a great love for brass”. His early ceramic figures were used to cast new brass models. Handcrafted in solid brass and hand finished to a golden sheen with black patina, this new style originated by Bosse and partner Herta Baller became known as the “Black Golden Line.”

For further reading

Purchase Walter Bosse: Leben Kunst und Handwerk 1904 – 1979 by Cherica Schreyer-Hartmann and Hans-Hagen and Johanna Hottenroth (ISBN 3-85498-071-X). With numerous pictures and illustrations, the book shows Bosse’s creativity, influence and impact on Viennese ceramics and brass.