Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
MID-CENTURY MODERN STYLE
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Emerged during the mid-20th century
- Informed by European modernism, Bauhaus, International style, Scandinavian modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
- A heyday of innovation in postwar America
- Experimentation with new ideas, new materials and new forms flourished in Scandinavia, Italy, the former Czechoslovakia and elsewhere in Europe
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Simplicity, organic forms, clean lines
- A blend of neutral and bold Pop art colors
- Use of natural and man-made materials — alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak; steel, fiberglass and molded plywood
- Light-filled spaces with colorful upholstery
- Glass walls and an emphasis on the outdoors
- Promotion of functionality
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
- Charles and Ray Eames
- Eero Saarinen
- Milo Baughman
- Florence Knoll
- Harry Bertoia
- Isamu Noguchi
- George Nelson
- Danish modernists Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, whose emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship influenced American designers and vice versa
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
- Eames lounge chair
- Nelson daybed
- Florence Knoll sofa
- Egg chair
- Womb chair
- Noguchi coffee table
- Barcelona chair
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.
Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
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Style: Mid-Century Modern
Mid Century Modern Italian Carved Wood Painted Sea Shell, Large Scale
Located in Stamford, CT
A very cool mid century Italian hand carved wooden sea shell with white painted surface. The surface impasto gives this piece a tactile appeal, you just want to touch. Perfect decora...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Wood
Stylized Murano Horse Head Sculpture in Sommerso Glass
Located in Berghuelen, DE
A great Murano horse sculpture in clear and grey Sommerso glass. Manufactured circa 1970. possibly by Ermanno Nanson, Murano. See: Von Zezschwitz Kunst un...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Art Glass
Antique Teaching Model of the Adipose Spleen, ca. 1900
Located in Berghuelen, DE
A great antique hand-painted anatomical model of the adipose spleen. Made of papier maché and plaster, mounted on a turned wooden base. Manufactured most probably by SOMSO or PHYWE, ...
Category
Early 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Plaster, Wood, Paper
Selection of Midcentury Marble Lamps
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of midcentury marble lamps, American, circa 1950s.
From left to right in the first photo, they are:
1) Variegated round marble lamp in gr...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Marble, Metal
Rare Sculpture by Angelo Lelii & Naborre Corno for Arredoluce
Located in New York, NY
Brass, horsehair. Fantastic studio-made sculpture of 30 long-stem brass flowers with horsehair centers.
Good original condition. Loss to horsehair on some flowers and overall oxida...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Brass
Antique Teaching Model Stages of the Appendix, Ca. 1900
Located in Berghuelen, DE
A great antique hand-painted anatomical model of the appendix in different stages. It is made of plaster and mounted on a wooden base. Manufactured most probably by SOMSO or PHYWE, G...
Category
Early 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Wood, Paper, Plaster
Large Brown and Colored Stoneware Ceramic Tree Sculpture Claude Gaget
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Claude Gaget
Amazing large stoneware tree sculpture by the French artist.
Original perfect conditions, signed at the base GAGET
Brown and colored firi...
Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Ceramic
1950s Midcentury Design English Anatomical Models University
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Set of two amazing anatomical models university, circa 1950s.
Measurements from left: height 30 cm, 23 cm.
Category
1950s English Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Metal
Mexican Sterling Silver Brooch Antonio Pineda
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Mid-Century Modern sterling silver brooch with three amethyst gem stones by Mexican Taxco silversmith Antonio Pineda (1919-2009). The lovely piece was created in the form of a peapod with amethyst as the peas. It is marked verso model number #PR571
Antonio Pineda stamp and .970 silver...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Amethyst, Sterling Silver
Midcentury Metal Potted Plant Sculpture
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Chic midcentury life-size potted plant or philodendron sculpture, handcrafted in metal with a stylized form and an acquired oxidized finish.
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Metal
Italian Glazed Terracotta Horse Sculpture Mancioli Pottery for Raymor
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A beautiful 1970s Italian glazed terracotta horse sculpture by Mancioli for Raymor. The horse is hand painted with flowers all around and it’s mark...
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Terracotta
Showcase with Stone Specimen, Decomposition of Rocks, circa 1930
Located in Berghuelen, DE
The vintage natural scientific specimen diorama shows the decomposition of rocks behind glass in a wooden case. It was used for class, circa 1930.
Measures: Width 14.37" (36.5cm)
Hei...
Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Stone
Black Shell Necklace Accessory on Stand
Located in Dallas, TX
Black shell necklace accessory on metal stand.
One of a kind sourced from Belgium.
2 available.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Shell
Vintage School Teaching Display of Usefull Insects
Located in Berghuelen, DE
A classical vintage school teaching showcase with specimen illustrating usefull insects (insects as producers, insects pollinating flowers, insect sanitary police and insects annihil...
Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Glass, Wood
Resin Encased Coral
Located in New York, NY
Decorative, resin encased coral fragment.
Category
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Coral
Alan Wallwork Vessel Vase Pottery Sculpture TOTEM White Brown Terracotta
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
Alan Wallwork (1931-): Organic landscape sculptural vessel, 1960-1965
Exhibiting the articulated, inventive, organic qualities & tactility of Wallwork’s early oeuvre for which he is best known
- This sculptural landscape vessel has been handmade by coiling, slabbing and shaping the clay. The totemic form and pitted and pierced surfaces draw on the abstract landscape and tactility of elements in nature. matte glazes and oxides have been skillfully used to enhance the rich textures of the surfaces and the organic aesthetic.
- Wallwork is one of the great individualists in British pottery, developing an archetypal language that echoed some of the wider artistic obsessions of that period, what the art critic Herbert Read called the “postwar ferment” of sculptural activity.
- This piece was made during 1960-1965, the time that Wallwork was sharing a studio in Greenwich with Bernard Rooke and comes from a private collection along with a waterscape vase by Rooke and a bottle by Robert Fournier...
Category
1960s British Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Pottery
Mid-Century Modern Abstract Marble Sculpture on Black Enamel Swivel Base
Located in New York, NY
This sophisticated Mid-Century Modern abstract sculpture was realized in the United States, circa 1960. It offers an amorphic form with two circular perforations incised into its bod...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Marble
Pair of Midcentury Metal Sea Fan Sculptures
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Dramatic pair of midcentury cast metal sea fans with their iconic form finished in gold leaf and presented on black glass bases.
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Brass and Enamel Branch Wall Sculpture in the Manner of Curtis Jere
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A spectacular 1970s large brass and enamel wall sculpture in the manner of Curtis Jeré. The sculpture is constructed of torch cut solid brass. The flowers are enamel and yellow and g...
Category
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Enamel, Brass
Anthony Redmile Mounted Impala Horns and Skull on Pyramidal Base
Located in New York, NY
Anthony Redmile Impala horns and skull mounted atop a pyramidal shaped patinated metal base. The piece was made in the United States during the 1970s and h...
Category
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Metal
Pair of Fossil Specimens
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Pair of Orthoconic Cephalopods towers or fossilized squid specimens carefully cut from stone and polished to reveal these remarkable organic sculptures.
Category
Mid-20th Century Canadian Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Rock Crystal
Decorative Root Sculpture, Italy 1960s
Located in Milan, IT
Decorative root sculpture, Italy 1960s.
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Stone, Metal
Very Decorative Midcentury Lacquered Wooden Scale Model of an Atom
Located in Doornspijk, NL
This large miniature version of an atom contains 20 balls on 4 levels, so 5 balls per level. They are intertwined by woorden sticks. In the heart of the atom sits a bigger moving ball made of a darker kind of wood.
This midcentury atom comes from the cabinet of a retired house doctor.
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Wood
Ben Seibel "Clam" Bookends in a Copper Finish
By Ben Seibel
Located in Dallas, TX
Heavy bookends by Ben Seibel in a copper finish.
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Metal
1960s Emil Milan Rosewood Brass Table Lighter Sculpture American Studio Craft
By Emil Milan
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Wonderful and rare large table lighter by Emil Milan in E.T. rosewood. Lighter is not functioning, will need flint and fuel.
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Wood
"Cornucopia" Coffee Table, Richard Faure, France, 1975
Located in Paris, FR
Coffee table "Cornucopia" by Richard Faure, France, circa 1975
Coffee table / carved brass sculpture representing cornucopia, terminated by half-geodes of amethyst.
A light bulb is...
Category
1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Amethyst, Brass
California King Palm Tree Floor Lamp by Christopher Kreiling
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The (extra tall and height customizable) California King Palm tree floor lamp is a celebration of living and creating in Los Angeles for almo...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Stainless Steel
Bronze Quince Made by Polish Artist Aleksander Detkos
Located in Doornspijk, NL
Aleksander Detkos, born in 1939 in Gorlice, is a Polish sculptor.
Fascinating piece made by Detkos in 1990. It depicts the quince fruit which itself is about as hard as this bronz...
Category
1990s Polish Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Bronze
Midcentury Green Malachite Burnished Egg Set of Five, Stone Sculpture Set
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Midcentury green malachite hand-burnished egg set of five with Lucite bases.
Gorgeous hand burnished and carefully curated set of solid malachite eggs for your springtime pleasure. D...
Category
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Malachite
Stylish Midcentury White Metal Bamboo & Flower Design Pendant Light / Chandelier
Located in Lisse, NL
Handcrafted Italian faux bamboo and flower pendant.
If you like to surround yourself with rare and stylish home accessories then this handcrafted pendant from the mid-century era co...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Metal
Mid-Century Modern Hand Carved Grisaille Granite Sculpture on Custom Swivel Base
Located in New York, NY
This dynamic and refined Mid-Century Modern sculpture was realized in the United States, circa 1970. It features a TOTEM hand carved form consisting of various tiers of grisaille granite- replete with a rich and organic innate texture. The granite form, suggesting an abstracted corkscrew, is both austere (suggesting the highly reductive forms of Constantin Brancusi) and dynamic, full of verve and energy. The piece sits on a custom swivel...
Category
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Granite
Mid-Century Modern Antelope Antlers on Lucite Stand
Located in New York, NY
Mid-Century Modern vintage large antelope antlers mounted on a Lucite stand. The piece is in great vintage condition with some minor age -related crac...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Horn, Lucite
Signed Female Marble Sculpture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Beautiful marble sculpture of a female torso, face, on granite base. Smooth and rough surfaces give a nice composition. (Please confirm item location, NY or NJ, with dealer).
Category
1960s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Midcentury American Modern Live Edge Trapezoidal Douglas Fir Bookends
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Striking sculptural douglas fir live edge bookends (circa 1970s USA). Solid 'blocks' of stained douglas fir have been sculpted into trapezoidal forms and finished to reveal soft, pol...
Category
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Wood
Large Midcentury Redwood Burl Sphere Sculpture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Magnificent and monumental in scale (26" in diameter / 79" circumference) redwood burl sphere. Can be used as a stand-alone impressive sculpture / decorative object or, with slight m...
Category
1960s North American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Burl
Arthur Court Geode, Agate and Brass, Signed
By Arthur Court
Located in New York, NY
Arthur Court Geode Mineral, agate and brass, Signed. Small scale agate geode displayed on a brass "Medium Mini-Claw" stand. Sold with the original Arthur...
Category
1970s Mexican Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Agate, Brass
1970s Anthony Redmile Mounted Horns
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pair of 1970s Anthony Redmile mounted horns with silver plated details and polished tiger eye
Signed and stamped on the base.
Good vintade overall condition
Category
1970s English Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Silver Plate
Modernist Marble and Stone Sculpture by David F.Soule
By Henry Moore, David F. Soule
Located in Buffalo, NY
Modernist marble and stone sculpture by David F. Soule, hand-carved, wonderfully executed, trapizoid shape stone base, mounted carved and polished marble sphere, stunning.
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Stone, Marble
Mid-Century Modern Style Brass and Marble Seagull Sculpture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Gorgeous vintage modern sculpture features a heavy solid brass seagull sitting on top of a thick marble slab. The sturdy round marble base and...
Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Marble, Brass
PAIR of OGGETTI MURANO Italian HAND-CRAFTED Exotic GLASS Fish Sculptures
Located in Hawthorne, CA
A pair of OGGETTI Italian clear glass tropical fish sculptures. Each of these large scale sculptures depicts a tropical fish with hand-painted ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Blown Glass
Large Decorative Cane Cactus, 1960s
Located in Den Haag, NL
Large decorative cane cactus, 1960s.
In very good vintage condition with minimal wear of use.
Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Cane
Large Dramatic Argentinian Antler & Horn Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
A dramatic Argentinian animal sculpture of a skull and its antlers / horns presented with a sober, modern sensibility and a refined rustic aesthetic. The steer sculpture originates f...
Category
20th Century Argentine Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Bone
1970s Large Sawtooth Sculpture
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
197s Large sawthooth sculpture monted on brass and chromed steel base.
Category
1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Brass, Steel
Virginia Metalcrafters Cast Brass Tobacco Leaf Tray
Located in Malibu, CA
VTG 1963 Virginia Metalcrafters Solid Cast Brass Tobacco Leaf Trinket Dish
Perfect for holding small items like jewelry or coins, this dish is truly a one-of-a-kind piece. Whether y...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Brass
Extraordinary shell coral, cabinet piece collector's item, mid-century, Italy
Located in Wien, AT
This wonderful object is reminiscent of the cabinets of curiosities in castles and palaces in the Renaissance period. People wanted to own and exhibit rarities.
This highly decorati...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Shell, Wood
Vintage Windcatcher Chandelier Made of Shells Verner Panton Style 60s
Located in Oostrum-Venray, NL
With this beautiful vintage shell storm catcher in the style of Verner Panton you imagine yourself in tropical atmospheres. This shell hanging wind catcher gives 'a kind of' holiday ...
Category
1960s Swiss Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Organic Material
Cast Brass Sage Leaf Tray
Located in Malibu, CA
Virginia Metalcrafters cast Sage leaf tray made of solid cast brass.
Copyright 1960, Virginia Metalcrafters 3-49.
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Brass
Italian Mid-Century Modern Wooden Sculpture of a Banana Plant, 1950s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Mid-Century Modern Wooden sculpture of a banana plant, 1950s
Sculpture of a banana plant in carved wood with interlocking leaves. Hand crafted an...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Wood
Antique Hand Polished Lingam Stone Sculptures with Bronze Stands Set of 4
Located in Dallas, TX
A beautiful and substantial collection of four lingam stones on bronze stands with the tallest stone measuring 18”, from the Narmada River in India.
They are naturally formed of a ...
Category
Early 1900s Indian Antique Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Stone, Bronze
Pierre Giraudon Set of Three Mussels Encased in Resin
Located in New York, NY
Pierre Giraudon set of three Mussels Encased in Resin. " MO.3: Moule avec une valve (Mytilus)".
Category
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Lucite
Mid-century Modern natural specimens for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern natural specimens for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage natural specimens created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, more furniture and collectibles, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern natural specimens made in a specific country, there are Europe, North America, and United States pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original natural specimens, popular names associated with this style include Robert Brendel, Somso, Anthony Redmile London, FS Henemader Antiques, and Inc.. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for natural specimens differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $89 and tops out at $22,500 while the average work can sell for $1,650.
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