As Bosse’s most famous and most desirable figural work in brass, the stacked hedgehog set has also been the design most frequently sought by collectors, and, perhaps not surprisingly, the design most frequently counterfeited. With fakes and forgeries flooding the market over the years since the hedgehogs were first made, and an increasing demand for Walter Bosse’s work, we decided that the time was right to produce the original Bosse hedgehog ashtray again—utilizing Bosse’s original molds, just as his team of craftspeople had done many decades ago.
For quite a while now, we have seen unauthorized hedgehog ashtray forgeries being sold online using Walter Bosse’s name.
Most of them are vintage fakes, created by Bosse’s unscrupulous competitors and copycats during his lifetime. Bosse fought hard against this, making tremendous personal sacrifices to protect the integrity of his work and his name. His legal battles set precedents in the protection of copyright and intellectual property for creative artists. We look at this new set of authorized reproductions as an opportunity to honor Bosse’s work and legacy, adhering to the same high standards of materials and workmanship to which he devoted his life.
We would also like to set the record straight, once and for all, by explaining the characteristics that indicate the differences between an original Bosse hedgehog ashtray set and a reproduction:
- Bosse’s set of hedgehog ashtrays consists of six individual parts
- the length of the biggest hedgehog is about 115 mm
- Without exception, Bosse’s hedgehogs were cast in brass. Any other material (pewter, steel, iron, bronce, etc.) indicates a fake, as no other material has ever been used for production
- Bosse originals were polished and patinated in a manner consistent with those shown in our photographs.
- The eyes of the hedgehogs are small, concave indentations; many fakes and forgeries feature protruding, convex eyeballs
- Many fakes include textured fur on the sides of the hedgehogs; this is incorrect and indicates a copy. The surfaces of original Walter Bosse hedgehog ashtrays are smooth
- As an additional mark of authenticity, our reintroduced Bosse hedgehog ashtrays are marked with “Bosse Austria”- on the underside of the largest hedgehog between the front legs
We are proud to be able to give Walter Bosse collectors worldwide a new chance to own the design that best represents his life’s accomplishments.
