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.
Folk Art Americana Victorian Carved Mirrored Carousel Panels
Located in Queens, NY
5 American Victorian stripped and decorated carved carousel panels with oval etched mirror (priced each).
Wood
Vintage Regency Framed Quilt Panel
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Add a touch of serene, handcrafted artistry to your walls with this stunning framed quilt panel. This exceptional piece of textile art showcases the incre...
Cotton, Glass, Wood
18th Century Carved and Painted Wooden Panel
Located in Atlanta, GA
Decorative 18th century carved wooden panel featuring beautifully executed hand-carved ornamentation within a painted framework. Originally part of a larger architectural interior, t...
Wood
Pair of Antique French Painted Boiserie Panels
Located in Atlanta, GA
An elegant pair of antique French boiserie panels featuring beautifully carved Rococo-inspired ornamentation and a softly aged painted finish. The long, narrow proportions make the p...
Wood
Pair of Antique French Painted Boiserie Panels
Located in Atlanta, GA
An elegant pair of antique French boiserie panels featuring beautifully carved Rococo-inspired ornamentation and a softly aged painted finish. The long, narrow proportions make the p...
Wood
French Louis XVI Period Carved Wood Panel, 18th Century
Located in Atlanta, GA
This elegant French wood panel dates from the Louis XVI period and features finely carved motifs symbolizing the attributes of a gardener, a theme closely associated with late eighte...
Wood
Antique Asian Architectural Relief Carved Stone Frieze Panel
Located in Forney, TX
An exceptional architectural high relief hand carved stone band of running scroll decoration frieze panel, with beautiful scrollwork, representing wind or water, and mythological creature, perhaps a dragon or grotesque griffin. The characters in the center may be Asian hieroglyphs (Japanese kanji). The top side has a dovetail joinery cutout from where it would have attached and fit into place before cementing it in place. 19th century or earlier. This antique architectural salvage building element is a beautiful and artful display of history, and a quick way to add texture, character, rustic charm and interest. Will make a wonderful decorative object within your home or office. Provenance: Personal property of Genshiro Kawamoto. A Japanese real estate billionaire and avid art collector who owned numerous multi-million dollar properties in Hawaii and was building one of the most expensive homes in Hawaii prior to his tax evasion arrest, followed by prison sentence in Japan. He had bought multiple properties to convert into museums in order to display his personal decorative arts collection, but due to his legal and financial problems, his items were all auctioned...
Stone
Antique Chinese Carved Wooden Window Panels Wall Arts - a Pair
Located in Pomona, CA
This is a pair of Chinese antique Open Carved interior wooden Window Screen Panels. It features beautiful open carved Chinese traditional folk art design on it and some detailed deco...
Wood
Neo-Gothic Flemish hand carved panel in solid oak, ca. 1850
Located in Meulebeke, BE
Belgium / 1850 / panel / oak / Neo-Gothic / Antique Highly decorative 19th century Flemish panel with hand carved Neo-Gothic decorations in oak. The panel consist of four rectangle ...
Oak
Pair of Vintage Amber and White Stained Glass Window Panels
Located in Seattle, WA
This pair of vintage stained glass panels features a bold geometric design crafted with rich amber-colored textured glass and opaque white glass accents. Each panel is framed in lead...
Glass
Large Antique Oak Wall Panel
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A single large antique oak wall panel salvaged from a British church. It dates from the early 1900s during the Victorian era and features solid oak construction with a rich warm wood...
Wood, Oak
$5,950
W 45.25 in D 2 in L 32.25 in
Late 18th Century French Carved Boiserie Panel with Original Paint
Located in Atlanta, GA
A beautiful late 18th to early 19th century French carved wooden boiserie panel featuring elegant neoclassical ornamentation and a richly layered original painted surface. The panel ...
Wood
Pair of Antique Decorative Oak Church Panels
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
This pair of antique carved oak church panels would’ve once formed part of a rood screen, separating the nave from the chancel. Dating from the late 19th c...
Oak
19th Century Indian Carved Panel with Shutter Windows
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Fantastic 19th century Indian wall panel with two sets of shutter windows. Features a highly carved front with a blossom or starburst motif. On top a...
Brass
18th Century English Hand carved Lion Panel
Located in London, GB
18th century hand carved lion panel We are proud to offer an original circa late 18th century oak panel comprising of 2 hippocampus and a central lio...
Oak
18th Century French (Provence) Carved and Painted Over Door Panel
Located in Greenwich, CT
Most unusual carved over door panel, probably Provence, depicting a fanciful assortment of images including a flaming urn, a billowing incense burner, ...