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.
Christmas Elf with Beer Barrel Money Bank
Located in Copenhagen, K
Fantastic elf or "Nisse" as it is called in Danish, with a beer barrel. The "Nisse" used to live in every farmhouse and you had to threat him nicely and ma...
Earthenware
$330Sale Price|20% Off
French faience charger, 19th century
By France"
Located in DELFT, NL
19th century rustic charger in French faience with geometric decoration. Amazing piece to decorate a landhouse style kitchen.
Earthenware, Delft, Faience
18th Century Dutch Delft Tile Painting of a Cat with Mouse
Located in Stamford, CT
18th Dutch century tile painting of a cat with holding a mouse in it's mouth. Depicted right after the catch, with paw lifted showing exposed claws. The yellow and manganese striped ...
Ceramic
$280Sale Price|20% Off
Small Italian Faience Dish Of a Lady, Circa 1920's
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
1920's Faience Dish Of a Lady, Italy Charming Italian dishes of a a figurative woman representative of the 1920's era in Florence, Italy. This would...
Faience
Exceptional Bristol Delft Landscape Charger
Located in Greenwich, CT
Very good 18th Century English, probably Bristol, charger depicting a church, cottage and wooded landscape with flocks of birds overhead.
Earthenware
Vintage Figurative Studio Pottery Salt and Pepper Shakers - a Pair
By Delft
Located in Charleston, SC
A funky set of glazed stoneware figurative salt and pepper shakers in blue and white delft style. The pepper shaker (the taller one) measures: 4.75” tall x 2.75” wide x 2” deep. T...
Stoneware
French Faience Cache Pot, 19th Century
Located in Doylestown, PA
A white glazed French Faience “Cache Pot” with handles, circa 1870.
Faience
$756 / item
H 2.37 in Dm 2.17 in
Antique Silver Salt Shaker, A Pair of Salt & Pepper Shakers Crystal Bowl
Located in Wembley, GB
Pair of Gilt Bronze and Glass Salt Cellars, Antique English Tableware A charming pair of antique gilt-bronze salt cellars, each with a delicate leaf-shaped base and curved handle, su...
Crystal, Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
$6,250 / set
H 7.5 in W 7.13 in D 3.07 in
Mechanical Bank Speaking Dog By The Shepard Co Ca 1885; with Original Wooden Box
By Shepard Hardware Company
Located in Incline Village, NV
Manufactured in 1884 by the Shepard Hardware Company in Buffalo, New York, this cast iron mechanical bank measures 7 1/8" long and is in excellent all original condition and paint, especially considering that the Shepard Company did not use a primer rendering their surface more vulnerable than say, the Steven's Company. There is no touch up or repaint, and no restoration of any kind. Colors of bright red on the dress, flesh tones, tan colored dog, and maroon base are all very bright and crisp. The bank is accompanied by the original wooden box in which it was originally shipped; a very special find and charming piece of Americana. Rare to find the original box. The bank and box came directly from an estate and the original owner, and I have owned it since then for over 35 years. The theme of the bank depicts a young Victorian girl playing with her golden retriever. It is one of only four antique mechanical banks...
Iron
Ceramic Pair Salt and Pepper Shakers Cows Figurine
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Vintage pair of ceramic salt and pepper shakers - two cute cow figurines.
Ceramic
Set of 8 Antique Christmas Putz Houses, , Christmas Decorations
By Leo Putz
Located in Buffalo, NY
8 Antique Christmas Putz Houses Here we have from the local estate of the original owner a VERY Rare group of 8 Large Putz Houses in their original b...
Paper
19th Century French Faience Floral Plate
Located in Pearland, TX
A lovely antique late 18th-century to early 19th-century French faience plate with beautiful hand painted flowers and a scalloped rim. It would look fabulous displayed on a wall or s...
Faience
$695
H 10.25 in W 4.75 in D 4.75 in
Chinoiserie Dutch Delft Faience Floral Lidded Vase Ginger Jar, circa 1920
Located in Pearland, TX
A lovely petite antique Delft Chinoiserie faience cobalt blue and white lidded vase by Boch Keramis, a well-known Belgian maker, circa 1920. Signed on the reverse. This gorgeous vase...
Ceramic
Framed Set of 18th Century Portuguese Tiles
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
The artistry and industry of Portuguese azulejos tiles is a tradition that dates back many centuries; as a practical, architectural surface to cover both interior and exterior walls ...
Ceramic, Clay, Pottery, Glass, Wood
Pair of Dutch Delft Faience Dragon Candlesticks, circa 1930
By Delft
Located in Pearland, TX
A rare pair of vintage Dutch Delft faience dragon candlesticks in cobalt blue and white, circa 1930. Marked "Delft" on reverse. They display beautifully, hand painted in the form of ...
Delft, Faience
Framed Set of Three 18th Century Dutch Delft Blue and White Tiles
Located in Dallas, TX
A wonderful set of three 18th century Dutch Delft tiles, each hand painted in cobalt blue upon a white tin glazed ground. The individual scenes include a flowering plant, a fanciful ...
Ceramic
Delft - Pair of blue and white Delftware plates - 18th century
By Delft
Located in DELFT, NL
Good pair of 18th century Dutch Delft Blue chinoiserie dishes decorated with a oriental central flower arrangement behind a rock. The borders adorned with 3 foliage sprigs and brown ...
Earthenware, Faience, Delft
Delft - Pair of blue and white Delftware plates - 18th century
By Delft
Located in DELFT, NL
A fine pair of Dutch Delft faience plates with scaloped rim, dating to the 18th century, hand-painted in cobalt blue on a tin-glazed white ground, inspired on Chinese porcelain. Th...
Earthenware, Delft, Faience
19th Century French Trompe L’oeil Decorative Plate, Palissy Style
By Bernard Palissy
Located in Doylestown, PA
An early 19th century faience Trompe L’oeil decorative plate of small orange gourds on a simple country plate, in the manner of Bernard Palissy. French.
Faience
19th Century French Faience Tromp L’oeil Decorative Plate
By Bernard Palissy
Located in Doylestown, PA
A 19th century French decorative Trompe L’oeil faience plate in the manner of Bernard Palissy, the scalloped and floral decorated plate holding unshelled almonds and almond candy typ...
Faience
19th Century French Trompe L’oeil Decorative Plate, Manner of Bernard Palissy
By Bernard Palissy
Located in Doylestown, PA
A 19th century French decorative Trompe L’oeil plate in the manner of Bernard Palissy, depicting a scalloped and glazed plate with faux olives.
Faience
19th Century French Trompe L’oeil Plate, Style of Palissy
By Bernard Palissy
Located in Doylestown, PA
A charming 19th century French trompe l’oeil decorative plate in the manner of Bernard Palissy, with sculpted faux pears arranged on a scalloped and floral decorated plate.
Faience
French 19th Century Palissy Style Trompe L’oeil Plate
By Bernard Palissy
Located in Doylestown, PA
A charming trompe l’oeil faience plate with melon and fig decoration in the style of Bernard Palissy, circa 1800. Decorated and scalloped edge plate.
Faience
Italian Trompe L’oeil Decorative Plate
Located in Doylestown, PA
An early to mid 20th century faience Trompe L’oeil decorative plate with faux mussels and lemons on a scalloped plate. Marked in reverse “Italy”.
Faience
Large Ceramic Pitcher Green and White by Royal Delft England
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Stunning Delft green and white pitcher in very good condition. This is a beautiful and hard to find large water pitcher. The painting depicts a...
Ceramic
Polychrome Delft Deep Dish
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fine 18th century Dutch delft charger/deep dish featuring two ducks in a pond with foliate decorated border, in manganese, yellow, blue and green glaze...
Delft
Large 19th Century Blue And White Delft Floor Lamp
Located in Copenhagen, K
Large 19th Century Blue And White Delft Floor Lamp Delft floor lamp on wooden base. Probably converted from a candelabra into floor lamp.
Delft, Wood
Unusually Large Antique Blue and White Dutch Delft Charger
Located in Katonah, NY
Provenance: The collection of Katherine Mellon. An unusually large blue and white Dutch delft charger. The fluted well showing a country village scene encircled by a wide lobed bo...
Delft
Early 19th Century Spanish Majolica or Talavera Deep Bowl
Located in Greenwich, CT
Beautiful large-scale early 19th century (or earlier) Spanish majolica tin glazed earthenware bowl depicting a horse in a wooded landscape, the borders decorated with zig zags of gre...
Earthenware
Danish 18th Century Love Gift
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Late 18th century red glazed earthenware bowl in the shape of a heart.
Earthenware