Modern Natural Specimens
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Natural Specimens
Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Natural Specimens
Metal, Brass
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Natural Specimens
Bronze
Late 20th Century Modern Natural Specimens
Marble
1980s Vintage Modern Natural Specimens
Carrara Marble
1990s Dutch Modern Natural Specimens
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Natural Specimens
Bronze
20th Century Uruguayan Modern Natural Specimens
Rock Crystal
2010s American Modern Natural Specimens
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Natural Specimens
Quartz, Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Natural Specimens
Metal
2010s American Modern Natural Specimens
Precious Stone
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Natural Specimens
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Natural Specimens
Amethyst
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Natural Specimens
Amethyst
Late 20th Century American Modern Natural Specimens
Marble, Chrome
20th Century Modern Natural Specimens
Stone, Alabaster
1990s Brazilian Modern Natural Specimens
Eggshell, Glass, Wood, Lizard
18th Century Italian Antique Modern Natural Specimens
Crystal, Lava, Gold Leaf
20th Century French Modern Natural Specimens
Crystal
20th Century French Modern Natural Specimens
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Natural Specimens
Crystal, Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Natural Specimens
Agate, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Natural Specimens
Agate, Metal
20th Century Modern Natural Specimens
Crystal, Quartz, Brass
20th Century Modern Natural Specimens
Malachite
15th Century and Earlier Malagasy Antique Modern Natural Specimens
Stone
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Natural Specimens
Stone
15th Century and Earlier Malagasy Antique Modern Natural Specimens
Rock Crystal
2010s Indian Modern Natural Specimens
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Indian Modern Natural Specimens
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Natural Specimens
Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Natural Specimens
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
15th Century and Earlier Antique Modern Natural Specimens
Rose Quartz
20th Century Brazilian Modern Natural Specimens
Rock Crystal
Mid-20th Century American Modern Natural Specimens
Brass
20th Century European Modern Natural Specimens
Lapis Lazuli, Quartz, Gold
20th Century European Modern Natural Specimens
Amethyst, Quartz, Silver
Mid-20th Century German Modern Natural Specimens
Multi-gemstone
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Natural Specimens
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Pacific Islands Modern Natural Specimens
Other
2010s Italian Modern Natural Specimens
Travertine, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Natural Specimens
Travertine, Metal
20th Century Modern Natural Specimens
Teak, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Natural Specimens
Travertine, Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Natural Specimens
Stone
2010s Spanish Modern Natural Specimens
Stone
2010s Spanish Modern Natural Specimens
Stone
2010s French Modern Natural Specimens
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Natural Specimens
Mirror, Horn
2010s Finnish Modern Natural Specimens
Porcelain
20th Century Unknown Modern Natural Specimens
Jade
2010s Italian Modern Natural Specimens
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Natural Specimens
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Natural Specimens
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Natural Specimens
Resin
20th Century Italian Modern Natural Specimens
Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Natural Specimens
Onyx