Questions & Answers
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What is the difference between fine and folk art?
1 Answer

The difference between fine and folk art comes down primarily to function. Fine artists produce paintings, prints, sculptures and other artworks to express an idea or concept, communicate a message or tell a story. With folk art, artists are usually more interested in following cultural traditions than self-expression. Pieces of folk art often have more practical uses compared to works of fine art, such as quilts and furniture. Other examples of folk art include pottery, masks, textiles and carvings. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of fine and folk art.
1stDibs ExpertOctober 7, 2024
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Shop for Folk Art on 1stDibs
Hand Painted Folk Art Armoire/Bridal Cabinet, Southern Germany, Dated 1807
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A beautiful cabinet from rural southern Germany, dating from 1807. It was originally given as a wedding gift. Crafted from solid pine, it is hand-painted in vibrant colors. It has it...
Category
Antique Early 1800s German Folk Art Painted Furniture
Materials
Pine
French 18th Century Forged Iron Folk Art Baroque Tavern Sign
Located in Buisson, FR
Important and beautiful 18th century Tavern sign depicting a rearing white horse with a crowned coat of arms on its back.
Most likely from the Alsace, France due to the German influe...
Category
Antique 18th Century French Baroque Signs
Materials
Iron
$5,325 Sale Price
50% Off
Unique 19th Century French Shop Sign with a Grouse
Located in Buisson, FR
Brilliant and unique shop-sign.
A painted grouse made out of sheet iron or zinc that is placed within a hand forged iron frame that is made to hang.
France circa 1850-1900
Weathered...
Category
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Signs
Materials
Metal
$1,525 Sale Price
48% Off
Antique Asian Ethnographic Tribal silver gilt coral necklace Vintage Jewelry
Located in London, GB
Nice Vintage central Asian silver gilt coral and gemstone beaded necklace
A necklace of silver beads pearl antique red coral amethyst and mixed glass beads and gemstones
Period...
Category
Early 20th Century Southeast Asian Antiquities
Materials
Silver
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Fox and Goose Cut Out on Custom Mount
Located in Chicago, IL
This early 20th-century American Folk Art tin cutout captures a moment of exhilarating pursuit: a sleek fox in hot pursuit of a large white goose, its wings flailing in startled flig...
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Tin
Alfonso Bini Mid-Century Blond Wood Novelty Pinocchio Orange Squeezer
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A very stylish and unusual vintage Italian Firenze blonde wood orange or grapefruit squeezer modelled as a man’s head by renowned Italian wood carver Alfonso Bini and made around 197...
Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Wood