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.
Assortment of Five Small Indian Repoussé Brass Decorative Dish Bowls
Located in Yonkers, NY
An assortment of give unique Indian brass bracelets from the 19th century that could be used as ashtrays or candy dishes. Charming our eyes with their intricate designs, this assortm...
Brass
French Deer Ashtray Vide Poche Ring Dish Mid Century C1950s Folk Art
Located in Trensacq, FR
French Deer Ashtray from mid-century France, C1950s. Unique and beautifully crafted ashtray, hand-forged in iron. Simple and stylish in form, a gorgeous example of mid-20th-century F...
Iron
Wooden ashtray in the shape of a sculpture, France, 1950
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
A French ashtray from the 1950s, crafted from carved wood and designed as a small decorative sculpture. The circular upper section rests on an openwork stem adorned with relief figur...
Wood
Greenlandica, ashtray and container in soapstone. 1970s/80s.
Located in København, Copenhagen
Greenlandica, ashtray and container in soapstone. 1970s/80s. In very good condition with signs of use. Ashtray: L 11.0 cm x H 8.0 cm. Soapstone - also known as Steatite - is a metam...
Soapstone
$346 / set
H 3.94 in W 7.88 in D 7.88 in
Set of Three Mid Century Crystal Green Glass Bowls, Italy, 1970s
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
This original vintage glass element was designed and produced in the 1970s in Lombardia, Italy. It is made in Sommerso Technique and has a fantastic faceted form. The vibrant color m...
Crystal
Ashtray vienna around 1950s
Located in Wien, AT
Ashtray vienna around 1950s Original condition Original patina
Brass
Glass Ashtray, Italy 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Glass ashtray is an object realized in 1970s. Art glass, D 15 x 4 cm. Very good conditions!
Art Glass
Vintage Glass Ashtray, 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage glass ashtray is an original decorative object realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Glass
Vallauris Green Ceramic Ashtray, Hand-Painted, France 1950
By Vallauris
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vallauris Green Ceramic Ashtray, Dish France 1950. Small french glazed ceramic dish with abstract design, signed Vallauris to base. Beautiful green glazed ceramic ashtray with colorful abstract design manufactured by Vallauris. This ashtray was handcrafted in France in the 1950's. Hand painted in purple green and yellow glazed ceramic on a dark olive green background. Use it as an ashtray or catchall, useful as jewelry bowl or vide-poche. Signed Vallauris at the bottom. Overall dimensions: 6.5 in x 6 in x 1.75 in height. About Vallauris. Vallauris Golfe Juan is a tourist town of the French Riviera near Antibes known as the "city of 100 potters". Its name (Valauria in Provencal) means "the golden valley...
Ceramic
Set of 6 Hedgehog Ashtray / Bowls in Metal, Mid-century
By Walter Bosse, Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Malmö, SE
A complete set of six stackable midcentury hedgehog ashtrays / bowls i metal. Great original condition.
Metal, Zinc
Vintage French Ceramic Ashtray Cobalt Blue and Gold Rectangular Shape
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage French Ceramic Ashtray Cobalt Blue and Gold Rectangular Shape. Circa 1960s advertising ceramic blue and gold ceramic ashtray or catchall, vide poche. Marked in gold on blue" ...
Ceramic
$477
H 0.79 in W 5.52 in D 5.52 in
Midcentury Squared Ashtray in Leather and Glass by CAP, Italy 1970s
By Fontana Arte, Jacques Adnet
Located in Rome, IT
Midcentury beautiful squared ashtray in brown leather and glass by CAP. Made in Italy in the 1970s. Perfect desk object or gift idea.
Leather, Glass
$394
H 3.15 in W 4.34 in D 2.37 in
Mid Century bronze table or hand ashtray by Walter Bosse in the shape of a fish
By Walter Bosse
Located in München, DE
Original Mid-Century Modern bronze table or handheld ashtray by Walter Bosse. Beautiful, great design in the shape of a fish. Made in Austria. Manufactured in the 1950s. Very good co...
Bronze
Cut Glass Zig Zag Shape 1950s Ashtrays in the Style of Fontana Arte
By Erwin Walter Burger, Fontana Arte, Pietro Chiesa
Located in Varese, Lombardia
Green glass ashtray with grinded shape in the manner of Fontana Arte. One small dent on the corner.
Cut Glass
$465
H 1.78 in W 7.09 in D 7.09 in
Midcentury Italian Ashtray in Wine-Red Leather and Crystal, Italy 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Stunning Mid-Century ashtray in a refined combination of wine-red leather and thick crystal glass. This elegant piece was produced in Italy during the 1970s. Fully original and in a...
Crystal
$334
H 0.79 in W 8.67 in D 5.52 in
Vintage Sculptural Cast Brass Ashtray in the Shape of a Sicilian Prickly Pear
Located in Roma, IT
I offer for sale a sculptural ashtray made of a very realistic brass casting and which has the shape of a plant that has become a symbol of Sicily: The prickly pear The prickly pear...
Brass
19th Century French Bread Board
Located in Chireno, TX
19th century French bread board, hand-carved with staple repair and steel patches. Beautiful patina from decades of use.
Steel
Pair WWI Artillery Shell Trench Art Ashtrays as Polished Steel Military Hats
Located in Nantucket, MA
Pair of steel WWI era Trench Art ashtrays made in the form of military hats from the bases of artillery shells, one dated 1915.
Steel
Bronze Jester Cigar Cutter
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An early 20th century bronze cigar cutter - perfectly suited for the man who enjoys a great cigar and the accoutrements that accompany the habit. t...
Bronze
Alpaca, Spanish Colonial Coin Cigars Ashtray with Turquoise Cabochons
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
If you're smoking cigars, chances are you enjoy the good things in life. This antique Alpaca coin and turquoise ashtray falls in the category of luxe...
Brass
Ceramic Stoneware Leaf Form Ashtrays Candle Holders Set of Six
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Set of six earth tone colors ceramic stoneware ashtray pottery glazed in form of leaves. Great to use as ashtrays or as votive candle holders or just decorative artifacts. Each plate...
Ceramic