Antique Wire Garden Containers

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.

Beautiful plants deserve beautiful homes. It’s time to introduce antique and vintage planters and jardinieres to your home’s interiors and outdoor garden area.

The word “jardiniere” has roots in French, but the appeal of these vessels is global. The popularity of jardinieres — ceramic pots intended for cut flowers or plants — quickly gained traction in the United States during the start of the 20th century, when you could find them in some middle- and upper-class American homes. Jardinieres had already been coveted goods overseas for at least a couple of centuries by then, as intricate planters crafted from Chinese porcelain or gilded-bronze versions from Japan could be found in the living rooms of wealthy Europeans.

Today, the love for planters and jardinieres knows no bounds. And whether you consider yourself a proper gardener or merely a doting plant parent, there is likely a use for a planter inside or in the lively outdoor space around your home.

Outside, a pair of marble and terracotta planters or cast-iron urns designed in the neoclassical style can add a stately touch to your landscape design while helping establish boundaries between the areas you’ve created for gardening and entertaining.

Bare corners in your living room or dining room can often be difficult to populate with furnishings that fit just so, and a planter can change that. While it’s possible to get maximal impact from minimalist pottery — an understated mid-century modern planter could deliver on that front — you might be pining for an on-trend planter with pizzazz. Look to an outwardly angular fiberglass design decked out in bright colors to give your blooms a run for their money, while mounted or vintage hanging vessels can serve as the frame for nature’s organic artwork, quite literally taking your gardening skills to the next level.

Browse a broad collection of antique and vintage planters and jardinieres on 1stDibs today.