Harry Hilbert

Folk art is a genre of art that shares the creator’s traditions, offering not just an artistic display but an opportunity to learn about a culture. Antique, new and vintage folk art typically reflects a heritage or location. It can include utilitarian objects and handmade art as diverse as weather vanes, duck decoys, portraiture and paintings, carnival art and quilts.

Quilts are a quintessential part of American folk art but their roots are international, with quilting dating back to Ancient Egypt. The practice spread to Europe and was especially prominent in the Middle Ages, with one of the oldest surviving examples being the Tristan quilt made in Sicily in the 14th century. They were made as bedcovers and clothing, including as a layer for knights to wear beneath their armor. Native American folk art includes functional objects reflecting their heritage, such as baskets, textiles and wooden pieces.

Elsewhere, the vast range of work associated with Mexican folk art includes masks made by Mexican craftspeople for traditional celebrations and ceremonial dances. Mexican masks are part of the country’s folk-art traditions that go back thousands of years and play a role in festivals and theater.

Works in the folk art tradition are valuable because of the skills involved, like weaving, hand-carving wood and even stonework. Many folk artists are self-taught, while some train as apprentices within their community. By using available materials and taking a personal approach to their creations, artists ensure each piece is unique and conveys a story.

During the Great Depression, artistic materials in America were hard to come by, so artisans used discarded wood from cigar boxes and shipping crates to make highly stylized, notched pieces — most often picture frames and boxes — that are today sought after by collectors. This folk art style is called tramp art and was popular from roughly 1870 until the 1940s.

Folk art brings vibrant culture and traditions into your home. Browse an extensive collection of antique, new and vintage folk art on 1stDibs.

If the interiors people have been saving on Instagram lately are any indication, we’ll be seeing a lot more antique, new and vintage cane furniture in the years ahead.

Cane — the material of the moment that is inspiring a new generation of designers — has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, side tables and desks.

In case you’re wondering, cane refers to the peeled-off bark of rattan, an Old World species of climbing palm, while wicker may be used to describe natural or synthetic materials that were woven into a pattern. Raffia, another term thrown around when discussing woven furniture, refers to a palm tree native to tropical regions in Africa.

Of course, designers’ obsession with traditional artisanal techniques is nothing new. Marcel Breuer’s tubular Cesca chair, a design originally conceived in the 1920s, has drawn renewed attention in the past few years. And the popularity of materials like raffia and wicker reflects our desire for all things handmade.

Find a wide range of antique, new and vintage cane furniture on 1stDibs.

Antique and vintage decorative baskets can lend unique charm to any room. And basketmaking is hardly a lost art.

Evidence of basket weaving dates back tens of thousands of years, with one of the most intact examples found in the Judean Desert from the Neolithic period. Historically, baskets have mainly served utilitarian needs — to carry food, store materials and even hold water — but they could also be ornamental objects or have ceremonial or religious purposes.

Native American baskets come from a tradition steeped in generations of skill. There are new and made-to-order baskets from artisans who put their own spin on the ancient art as well as 21st-century pre-owned decorative baskets to complement any furniture style or design preference.

A metal basket or brass basket can match a modern or industrial-style home and add some contrasting rusticity. Wooden baskets, wicker baskets and natural-fiber baskets can easily harmonize with boho chic and cottagecore interiors.

Ceramic baskets are part of the pottery tradition, a craft with a deep heritage in human history. Ceramics are popular in decor again, and the personalization of handmade craftsmanship has served as a sort of anti-Internet to screen-weary decorators. Depending on a ceramic basket’s style, it can fit in with a more formal, cottage, Asian or Southwestern interior theme.

Browse 1stDibs for a wide selection of decorative baskets to fit any design need.