About RIGHT | PROPER
ART BLOOMS FROM ARTLESS THINGS In Erik Retzer’s world, art blooms from artless things—humble forms made extraordinary by time’s touch. A refined 18th-century French fauteuil finds comfort in the most casual of rooms, just as a well-worn carpenter’s hammer becomes a sculpture of purpose and grace. Each piece he selects is beautifully crafted, bearing a story that adds depth and meaning to any space. Guided by the belief that quality never gets old, he founded RIGHT PROPER, a collection where the practical and the poetic entwine, proving that elegance belongs wherever it i...Read More
Established in 20181stDibs seller since 2018
Featured Pieces
Vintage Oversized Buffalo Nickel Bank
Located in Chicago, IL
An oversized stack of Buffalo Nickels, cast in solid zinc, cool to the touch and satisfyingly weighty in the hand. Industrial metal elevates humble pocket change into something sculp...
Category
Vintage 1970s American Folk Art Decorative Boxes
Materials
Zinc
Early 20th Century English Draft Horse Collar Framed Mirror
Located in Chicago, IL
An early 20th century leather horse collar, once resting against the powerful shoulders of a draft horse, now frames a looking glass with unapologetic character. The curved leather i...
Category
Early 20th Century English Rustic Wall Mirrors
Materials
Iron
Framed 19th Century Male Figure Drawing after Ferdinand Hodler
Located in Chicago, IL
Rendering with a backbone.
A single male figure, braced against a vertical plane, all tension and sinew, part study, part confrontation. The hatching is relentless, controlled but o...
Category
Antique 19th Century Swiss Modern Drawings
Materials
Paper, Leather
Vintage English Silverplate Jockey Helmet Bottle Opener
Located in Chicago, IL
At first glance, it’s a polished little keepsake — a vintage English silver-plate jockey’s helmet, gleaming softly on the bar like a trophy from a well-run race. The curves are exact...
Category
20th Century English Modern Barware
Materials
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Bronze Owl Letter Opener
Located in Chicago, IL
Before emails, there was ceremony.
This early 20th century cast bronze letter opener understands that ritual. Crowned with a watchful owl, feathers stylized, eyes wide and knowing,...
Category
Early 20th Century American Letter Openers
Materials
Bronze
Vintage American Maple Bench with Carved and Painted Fish
Located in Chicago, IL
We found it at the edge of Lake Winnebago, in a modest house in Fond du Lac where the curtains were simple but the taste was not.
This maple bench was handmade by a friend — not a f...
Category
1990s American Folk Art Benches
Materials
Maple
Mid-20th Century Italian Oval Framed Reed and Ribbon Mirror
Located in Chicago, IL
There is a reason the oval endures. It softens a room without surrendering structure—a lesson borrowed straight from classical architecture, where curve tempers column and ornament d...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Wood
Set of Five 19th Century French Leather Miner's Hats
Located in Chicago, IL
They weren’t collected with any grand plan, just instinct. Each time we traveled through France to source for the business, one would appear. Tucked into a market stall, hanging quie...
Category
Antique 19th Century French Rustic Wall-mounted Sculptures
Materials
Leather
Pair of Hand-Wrought Iron Serpent Andirons, Early 20th Century
Located in Chicago, IL
They stopped us mid-stride—the way only true originals can.
This pair of early–mid 20th century hand-wrought iron andirons—possibly French, possibly American—feel less like hearth to...
Category
Early 20th Century American Modern Andirons
Materials
Wrought Iron
Cast Eagle Head Figurehead
Located in Chicago, IL
We found it in a fishing village in northern Wisconsin—where Lake Superior waters stretch to the horizon. It may be freshwater, but it's anything but Midwestern Nice.
This eagle hea...
Category
Late 20th Century American Folk Art Animal Sculptures
Materials
Composition
19th Century Reverse Glass Painted and Gilt Chess Board
Located in Chicago, IL
Folk art doesn’t ask permission. It doesn’t wait for training or titles. It just appears—fully formed, utterly certain.
We found this 19th-century chessboard in the estate of a seri...
Category
Antique 19th Century American Folk Art Game Boards
Materials
Gold Leaf
19th Century English Painted Upland Hunt Still Life Panel
Located in Chicago, IL
We bought it in England because it had presence. Two grouse. One duck. No fussy landscape, no theatrics—just the spoils of a successful hunt, painted with quiet confidence. It felt d...
Category
Antique 19th Century English Rustic Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
