Skip to main content

Folk Art Sculptures

FOLK ART STYLE

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.

3
549
53
14
to
80
436
153
616
606
615
6,455
4,930
2,855
872
764
643
517
513
450
297
238
213
201
98
74
67
65
14
114
421
67
108
144
94
17
7
9
23
15
17
16
32
14
13
Height
to
Width
to
318
172
94
48
48
244
190
189
45
45
23
8
7
5
3
Style: Folk Art
Folk Art Cork Collection
Located in Seattle, WA
Folk Art Cork Manufacturer's Display piece with samples of all sizes and shapes of cork available for sale. Corks are arranged in geometric shapes and mounted on a velvet-covered bo...
Category

Early 20th Century American Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Cork, Velvet, Wood

Wire Bicycle Sculptures
Located in Darnestown, MD
These two finely detailed wire sculptures depict slightly different bicycles. The piece on the left is actually a tricycle and on the right is what is called a bonecruncher. Both are...
Category

1930s Vintage Folk Art Sculptures

Three Plaster and Sheet Metal Human Head Prototypes
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Very interesting collection of three male human head forms. We found them perched on a nickel-plated iron hat stands. The stands are marked Hugh Lynons & Co, Lansing MI. Most likely store display...
Category

1940s American Vintage Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Composition, Sheet Metal

English Folk Art Newel Post Figure of a Wildman
Located in Greenwich, CT
Most unusual English early 19th Century folk art carving of a wild man, most likely a newel post figure, depicted with groomed European hair, beard a...
Category

19th Century British Antique Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Oak

Fabulous Hard Stone Carved Sculpture by Marcus Lyons
Located in Palm Springs, CA
This fabulous sculpture is by noted Palm Springs artist Marcus Lyons (b1949). The signature is indistinct but it is clearly his work. The subject matter is...
Category

20th Century American Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Stone

Horse Head Trade Sign, Last Quarter of the 19th Century
Located in York County, PA
An exceptional, painted American trade sign made from carved wood in the full-bodied form of a race horse’s head. Wonderful movement, tremendous f...
Category

19th Century American Antique Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Indian Goddess Figurine Statue
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautifully authentic hand carved statue of an Indian deity goddess. Distressed paint finish.
Category

18th Century and Earlier Indian Antique Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Paint

Early 20th Century German Statue by Franz Zelezny
By Franz Zelezny
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A hand carved statue of an elderly man, 'Der Frierende.'
Category

Early 20th Century German Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Pair of Carved Pine Toreadors with Red Capes
Located in New York, NY
Pair of Spanish style carved pine life size toreadors with red capes (19th Cent)
Category

19th Century Spanish Antique Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Pine, Wood

Oringinal Wood Carved Relief of a Man Fishing
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Wonderful vintage relief image of man fishing while sleeping against a tree. Hand carved early 20th century.
Category

Early 20th Century American Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Set Of Three Indian Folk Art Figures
Located in Asheville, NC
Set of three Indian figures vividly painted. They appear to be kneeling in prayer two have their hair in buns and the third wears a crown. It is likely that the third blue figure is ...
Category

20th Century Indian Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Copper and Wood American Folk Art Boxer Whilrligig
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Spectacular American Folk Art whirligig found in Rockford, IL. Wonderful dry surface paint on boxers. Great working condition.
Category

Early 20th Century American Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Iron Perpetual Motion Folk Art Texas Zoo
Located in Santa Monica, CA
This black and white painted iron perpetual motion object was said to have been used to market the zebra exhibition at the San Antonio Zoo. The zebras...
Category

1950s American Vintage Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Iron

Pivoting Carved Wood Gull on Marble Base
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A wonderful carved wood bird in flight mounted on a bronze arm painted black which attaches to a marble base. The person we acquired this sculpture from claimed that it belonged to h...
Category

1930s American Vintage Folk Art Sculptures

Heavy Terra Cotta Folk Art Sculpture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Heavy terra cotta Folk Art sculpture, made by a worker from the Modesto brick factory, with unused clay from the day.
Category

1960s American Vintage Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Maritime Architectural Element
Located in Stamford, CT
A maritime architectural element of painted and carved wood representing Neptune.
Category

19th Century English Antique Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Folk Art Magnificent Oxidized Iron Man Sculpture
Located in Miami, FL
Magnificent iron man sculpture. Consists of saw blades as arms, a crumpled bucket as head with a tractor seat as its main body. Two skinny square iron legs keep it all upright and ar...
Category

Late 20th Century American Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Macramé Zebra and Baby Near Life-Size
Located in Dallas, TX
Uniquely created macrame´ zebra with exceptional detailing and incredible sculptural quality. The shape of this amazing sculpture is created from welded, heavy-gauge wire as is seen ...
Category

20th Century Unknown Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Hemp

Rare 20th Century Wood Carving of Child in Excellent Conditioned, Natural Patina
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare wood carving of child holding a book.
Category

Early 20th Century Unknown Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Paint

Carved Bantam Wearing a Crown
Located in Greenwich, CT
An early 19th century French carved bantam sporting a crown, well carved in pine. Good detailing to face, plumage, tail feathers and feet. Possibly originally from a ring toss game...
Category

19th Century French Antique Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Pine

Early 20th Century Unusual Plaster Puppet Head
Located in London, GB
Early 20th Century Unusual Plaster Puppet Head An unusual object to say the least, we feel this item was made in the early to mid-20th century. Constructed of Wood, plaster with gl...
Category

1940s Unknown Vintage Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Plaster

Found and Salvaged Industrial Steel Object Sculpture Figure with Face
Located in Chicago, IL
Made from found industrial objects, this face takes on different looks at every angle. A wedge, sprockets, gears are adhered to a found painted steel plate to complete this "Flatlay Face" Jim Rose Flatlay Face No. 05, 2021 found industrial objects 4.50h x 10.75w x 10.75d in 11.43h x 27.30w x 27.30d cm JR0299 Jim Rose b. 1966, d. 2023 Bio Born in Indiana, Jim Rose lived in Europe until he returned to the United States to attend college. After one year at Bard College, Jim transferred to the School of the Art Institute in Chicago (SAIC) where he graduated in 1988 with a BFA. His skillful interpretation of the Shaker design is a result of intense research and field study of Shaker furniture, architecture, culture and history. After over two decades of dedicated work, he has mastered the minimalism of the Shaker technique and created his own unique visual vernacular. The quilts of Gee's Bend have become a monumental influence taking this artist's work to new levels of unique interpretation and artistry. His selection of aged steel results in a patina directly related to that of aged wood while his colored strips beautifully mimic worn cloth. Each piece of furniture is masterfully made and intended for daily use. Jim Rose’s steel furniture is featured every year at SOFA Chicago for the past 25 years. Jim Rose b. 1966, Wisconsin Education 1989 B.F.A., Sculpture, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL 1988 Student at Large, Welding Technology, Triton College, Chicago, IL 1985 Undergraduate Photography Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York Awards 2008 Wisconsin Arts Board Fellowship Award, Madison, WI. 2005 Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA 2003 Grant Recipient for Shaker Interpretations in Cast Iron, PA Arts Assoc / WI Arts Board 2003 Arts/Industry Residency Program for Visual Artists, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin Solo Exhibitions 2017 New Work, Tory Folliard Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2012 Simply Steel, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI 2007 Variation, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2003 New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2001 Shaker in Steel / New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2000 Shaker in Steel / New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1999 Hands and Heart to Steel III, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL National Exhibitions 2017-2018 SOFA Chicago – Gallery Victor Armendariz 2016 - 1995 SOFA Chicago, New York, Palm Beach - Ann Nathan Gallery 2011 - 2002 Art Chicago - Ann Nathan Gallery Group Exhibitions 2017 Coming Attractions: Inaugural Exhibition, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2017 Living with Art: The Newman Collection, 108 Contemporary, Tulsa, Oklahoma 2016 Form Follows Function: The Intersection of Art and Craft, The Hardy Gallery, Ephraim, Wi 2015 NEO, Chipstone Foundation, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI 2015 ICFF, Furniture Society, Javits Convention Center, New York City, NY 2013 Vahki Revisited, The Enduring Spirit of a Craft Collection” Mesa Contemporary Arts, Mesa, AZ 2013 Fearless Furniture, Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, Indianapolis, IN 2013 Inaugural Exhibition, Museum Wisconsin of Art, West Bend, WI 2012 Sitting Pretty: Furniture from RAM’s Collection, Racine Art Museum, WI 2011 Hiding Places: Memory in the Arts, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, WI 2010 Living with Art, Strohl Art Center, Chautauqua Institution, NY 2009 Summer in Wisconsin, Tory Folliard Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2009 High Honors, James Watrous Gallery, Madison, WI 2008 Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary, Museum of Art and Design, NY 2007 Transformation 5: Contemporary Works in Found Materials, Art Association, Jackson, WY 2007 Transformation 5: Contemporary Works in Found Materials, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX (traveling exhibition) 2006 Show us Your Drawers, Herron School of Art, Indianapolis, IN 2006 Marriage of the Minds, Fairfield Center for Contemporary Art, Sturgeon Bay, WI 2006 27th Annual Contemporary Crafts, Mesa Contemporary Arts, Mesa, AZ 2006 Containers of All Dimensions, Mesa Contemporary Arts, Mesa, AZ 2005 Transformation 5: Contemporary Works in Found Materials, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA 2004 Right at Home: American Studio Furniture, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. 2004 American Collections, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI 2004 More Than Drawers-Wisconsin Cabinets, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI 2004 Objects of Wonder, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI 2003 Planting, Potting and Pruning, Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, WI 2003 Men at Work, Miller Art Museum, Sturgeon Bay, WI 2002 Case Pieces: Contemporary Studio Furniture, Elvehjem Museum of Art, Univ of WI-Madison 2002 Sitting Pretty: Contemporary Wisconsin Chairs, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI 2001 Anything with a Drawer - Award Recipient, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ 2001 23rd Annual Contemporary Crafts - Award Recipient, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ 2000 New Talent in Craft, Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, Wisconsin 2000 Who Knows Where or When, Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, Wisconsin 1999 The End is Near! Artists look at the 20th Century, Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, WI Selected collections Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin Mesa Contemporary Arts, Mesa, Arizona The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, New York John Michael Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin Kohler Company, Kohler, Wisconsin Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, Indianapolis, Indiana The Chipstone Foundation, Fox Point, Wisconsin Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, Wisconsin Publications “Selected Artists of Door County” Stonehill Publishing, 2016 “Galvanized Chest” Door County Living Magazine, Autumn 2012 “100 Artists of the Midwest” Schiffer Books, 2012 “Piecework” American Craft Magazine, February 2012 “Hiding Places, Memory in the Arts” John Michael Kohler Arts Center, June 2011 “Second Lives, Remixing the Ordinary” Museum of Arts and Design, NY, August 2008 “Studio Furniture” Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, DC, May 2008 “Discoveries by Designers” Architectural Digest, December 2005 “Contemporary Metal Furniture” Metalsmith Magazine, Winter 2003 “Studio Case Furniture: The Inside Story” American Craft Magazine, October 2002 “Contemporary Studio Case Furniture: The Inside Story” Elvehjem Museum of Art, 2002 “Chicago Style...
Category

2010s American Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Wooden Folk Art Crow
Located in Chicago, IL
Richly textured with whimsical appeal, this late 20th century wooden crow is a delightful example of naive American sculpture. Poised mid-caw, it is hard to tell whether this crow ha...
Category

Late 20th Century American Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Mid-Century Modern "Parents and Child" Marble Stone Sculpture, Kenya
Located in Deland, FL
Introducing a heart-warming abstract sculpture depicting parents with a child in embrace. Hand-carved in solid marble by a Kenyan artisan this exquisite, petite sculpture is the perf...
Category

1970s Kenyan Vintage Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Marble

19th Century French Wooden Decoration
Located in High Point, NC
A wooden sculpture of a horse made in 19th century France. A horse mid-gallop has been frozen in time by the immaculate sculpting of 19th century artisans. I...
Category

19th Century French Antique Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Tribal Instinct, Outsider Artist Assemblage with Skull and Various Found Objects
By Rick Farrell
Located in Chicago, IL
A found object is a natural or man-made item, or fragment of an item that is found by an artist and kept because of some intrinsic interest the artist sees in it. Beginning with Picasso, who incorporated newspapers and matchboxes into his cubist collages and constructions, this idea has been carried forward. It was popular with the Dada and Surrealist movements and with such great artists as Damien Hurst and Henry Moore. Here, self-taught artist Rick Farrell...
Category

2010s North American Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Wire

Folk Art Centerpiece Sculpture of Swedish Potato Farmers
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A Swedish sculpture of wooden, carved and painted figures of potato farmers working in the Scandinavian fields. Sweden has a long and well known tradition of hand carved wooden folk ...
Category

1970s Swedish Vintage Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Pine

Hand Carved Folk Art Wooden Cat or Panther
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A wooden carved cat or Panther. This previously painted piece, or piece of wood, has the remnants of a yellow paint, and the markings of a cat. A compliment to any shelf or table ...
Category

20th Century Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

1970s Belgian Wooden Sculpture
Located in High Point, NC
This wooden sculpture with a glossy patina was made in Belgium, circa 1970. It depicts a standing figure playing the pan flute, staring dreamily into the distance. The skillful carvi...
Category

1970s Belgian Vintage Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Antique Cast Iron Black Lamb Doorstop
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Antique cast iron lamb doorstop.
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Iron

Royal Doulton Porcelain Figurine, "The Mendicant"
Located in Ferndale, MI
High glazed, finely modeled bone china with exquisite colors. One of designer, Leslie Harradine finest Royal Doulton firgurines, "The Mendicant" (1929...
Category

Early 20th Century English Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Massive Rustic Folk Art Painted Patina Tin Owl Sculpture with Wooden Base
Located in Houston, TX
Large scale folk art style tin owl sculpture with a painted patina. Attached to a wooden base to ensure that the sculpture is stable.
Category

20th Century Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Tin

Vintage Terracotta Monkey
Located in Houston, TX
Terracotta monkey holding a glazed fig, the symbol of fertility, Majorca, circa 1950.
Category

1950s Spanish Vintage Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

DIRACCA SCULPTURE - Hand-Carved Stone Head [SPAIN]
Located in Hawthorne, CA
A hand-carved sculpture in sandstone styled after the head of DIRACCA from an unknown artist in Spain, circa 1940. This piece is stylized and attributed to Diracca from Spain in 1940...
Category

Mid-20th Century Spanish Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Sandstone

Carved Wooden Folk Art Owl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Hand-carved owl sculpture of hardwood - perfectly carved and finished to a rich lustrous sheen. Perfect for any shelf as a focal point or added to books and art.
Category

20th Century Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Rosewood

Crusty Ramshackle Sanatorium/Institutional Model
Located in Seattle, WA
freaky, spooky yet whimsical carved and painted model of a late 19th century/turn of the century institutional building, possibly a sanitorium. Painted windows and carved chimneys w...
Category

19th Century American Antique Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Folk Art sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique folk art sculptures 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 sculptures created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, folk art, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Folk Art sculptures made in a specific country, there are North America, Europe, and United States pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original sculptures, popular names associated with this style include Jim Rose, Tonala Pottery, Victor Anicet, and Royal Doulton. 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 sculptures differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $38 and tops out at $225,000 while the average work can sell for $1,404.

Recently Viewed

View All