Folk Art

Enchanting self taught art from Kentucky of a country rooster with the words Fresh Eggs scrawled boldly, all on distressed tin mounted on board. Was probably used as a roadside sign.

This ceremonial African mask is linked to the Salampasu people of the Bantu ethnic group located primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Salampasu masks...

19th Century Sailor's Woolie of the Ship-Sloop "Coquette," circa 1880, a handcrafted sailor's woolwork picture depicting a larboard side view of a steam-sailor at anchor, fully dress...

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. 07, 2021 found industrial objects 3.25h x 8.25w x 8.25d in 8.26h x 20.95w x 20.95d cm JR0301 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...

Fabulous folk art freestanding animal sculpture made from found carnival art shooting gallery iron ram. Rich with authentic character, the brown patinated surface is pocked with bul...

This most rare and unusual folk art study of a duckling is remarkable in its fine detail. It is constructed of papier mâché which is then been veneered with cut and shaped straw whi...

19th Century English Folk Art Tree Form Painted Heads An unusual pair of late 19th Century English folk art painted natural wooden form figures. We hav...

Antique Ethnic Artifact Sepik River Cassowary Bone from Papua New Guinea For many groups in Papua New Guinea, bone was an important medium for making tools of all types. This artifact is made from leg bone of a cassowary, a large, flightless, and extremely dangerous, bird. Cassowaries also play an important role in the mythology of groups in the Sepik River area. Though no longer used these bone artifacts are still used ceremonially. They often play important roles in male initiation and other rituals. They are also worn as personal adornment by tucking them into a band of braided fibers worn around the upper arm. Antique Ethnic Bone Cassowary Artifact with minimal carving and incised design confined to the joint end. A small hole has been drilled through from both sides of the top and presumably for the threading of a cord. The bone has been partially divided near the top and to form two prongs that project down the back of the dagger possibly allowing the user to wear is tuck into a waist band or belt. Origin Papua New Guinea Maprik Dist Area From the Art Collection of Marian and John Scott, acquired in 1962. Similar items are in display in the Timothy S. Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology. Purchased from the amazing private collection of Mark Lissauer who spent his life collecting niche ethnographic pieces. About Mark Lissauer: Mark Lissauer spent forty years travelling abroad for months at a time collecting ethnographic artefacts primarily from New Guinea and the islands of the West Pacific, and from Asia and Himalayan countries. Fluent in five languages and having in the course of business travelled to more than forty countries, Mark is well-known to museums and art-collectors around the world for his long career and his interesting and diverse collection of rare ethnographic material. Mark knows the origin and symbolism of each piece. Through extensive research and more than ninety trips around the globe, Mark familiarised himself with the traditions of the various cultures he visited in order to understand the meaning of each object to its region and tribe. His home has a specialist library and several rooms are filled with tribal carvings, textiles and ethnographica. He acquired his first tribal piece in 1948 during a business trip to Milne Bay, New Guinea, and has since documented the acquisition of some 35,000 items. Several thousands of these have been sold to important private collections and museums worldwide, including the Rockefeller Museum, the British Museum and the Musée National des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie, now incorporated into the Louvre Museum. Estimator certificate of authenticity by Wayne Heathcote Tribal Art Dealer and Expert. Heathcote has a flash gallery in Brussels, where much of the tribal art business is centred, and is an expert at Sotheby's tribal art sale...

A petite German late 19th century Tramp Folk Art Secret Chamber Cabinet Box. This petite Folk Art piece, circa 1890 comes from Germany and features a finel...

Big Swedish horse from the early 19th century. Made of pine wood with the famous red paint. It is worn but in a very nice way. The patina shows the trace of time. There's a whole on ...

This is a welded steel sculpture made by furniture creator Jim Rose. It is sustainable design created from salvaged and recycled steel panels left over from his larger projects. Thes...

Tyrolean painted chest H. 81 – W. 147 – P. 69 Ancient Tyrolean chest, entirely built in fir wood. The surface has been decorated with a dark brown background color, semi-covering, ...

Original hand-painted canvas sideshow banner for carnival midway sideshow entrance. Not signed but most likely out of Chicago Tent and Awning's banner ...

Early 20th century English Folk Art jigger doll A wonderful example of a unique Folk Art handcrafted jigger doll we have lovingly ...

A traditional Indian dance mask from the town of Monimbo, adopted by the rebels during the fight against Somoza. These were worn in order to conceal one's identity. It is a very un...

Pair of vintage carved and painted wooden duck decoys / figurines - one Redhead Drake and one Red-breasted Merganser - signed by artist craig Fellows of Big Sky Carvers of Bozeman, M...

Three vintage 1980's hand carved wooden duck decoys with stained feather details and amber glass eyes. Two by Craig Fellows of Big Sky C...

Fantastic antique found unpainted carousel horse form having distressed wood, amazing character, and handsome custom iron stand. Makes a stunning folk art sculpture with monochromat...

Exceptional bookcase painted in blue and red with gold leaf carvings. Two large side pillars, with richly carved scrolls, lacquered and gilded wi...

Brazilian Wei Wei Casava Graters Two graters constructed of wood and sharpened rock used by the Wai Wai Indigenous tribe of Northern Brazil to process raw Cas...

A most charming pair of two rare and whimsical indigenous Nahua peoples pottery animal folk art candleholders. Handmade in the village of Chililico, Hidalgo, Central Mexico, primiti...

Early 20th Century English Fairground Carousel Boards A matched pair of early 20th century hand crafted pine English fairground carousel boards, that would have been part of a larg...

Beautiful antique ship model made of different types of painted wood. It was most likely made as a toy as we can tell by the less detailed construc...

Danish mangle board (clothing and bedding press) dated 1814. It is made from oak wood which is hand carved and richly decorated abstract geometric flowers and branches with leaves a...

Recycled steel oil drum in folk art style. Meaning, Seresier would find oil drums that would have washed up on the beach in Haiti and pounded flat and then cut out these figures. They feature themes of Haitian Mythology. An incredible piece of artwork. Signature etched on bottom. Can be hung or has ability to stand up on flat surface. Biography The Louisjuste brothers -Seresier, Janvier, and Joseph,- were born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti. They learned the art-form from the originator of Haitian metals...

This fine all wool bars quilt is from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and has very fine tight quilting & in very good condition. The simple cool colors are also amazing as it goes wit...

Dolores Porras Enríquez is widely known throughout Mexico and the world for being the creator of a technique rooted in the land of Oaxaca: pottery in natural color, glazed and decora...

Oscar Peterson Minnow Decoy repainted by Jess Ramey, Cadillac, Michigan, circa 1930, an early Period II Peterson working ice fishing decoy that recei...

A beautiful example of a wedding chest from the hungarian tribes of the kalota, the illustrations are traditional with images of flowers and tulips. The chest was part of a dowry pa...

Dolores Porras Enríquez is widely known throughout Mexico and the world for being the creator of a technique rooted in the land of Oaxaca: pottery in natural color, glazed and decora...

José María de Servin was born in La Piedad, Michoacán in central Mexico in 1917. As a small child, he moved with his family to Guadalajara, Jalisco State, Mexico. He studied paintin...

Large Early 20th century Palethorps Pictorial Enamel Sausage Sign Very Rare old sign with a mouth watering picture of Palethorps Royal Cambridge sausages The sign is made in ceram...

Add rich decorative character, whimsical elegance and rustic warmth with this one-of-a-kind pair of two vintage American folk art candle sculptures. Primitive handmade slatted solid...

Carved and painted wooden soldier whirligig. Early 20th century American. Soldier has a leather hat with wooden brim. Presented on simple custom museum...

Antique Mexican retablo made in 1890 which includes a woman praying to the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. Framed in wooden frame ornately carve...

19Thc Wreath of roses applique quilt from Pennsylvania in pristine condition.This quilt is finely appliqued & nice quilting.

Early 20th Century Folk art English Articulated Toy Dog Form A very unusual and quirky example of an early 20th century English folk art articulated weighted jaw toy dog. Made from ...

This folky school house quilt in red ,white & blue is in fine condition.We believe its from a mid west collection.

A fine antique American candle box. In pine or fir with its original red paint. A rectangular candle or table box having a slide lid with carved sides & a thumb slot. Round nail...

A beautiful example of a wedding chest from the hungarian tribes of the kalota, the illustrations are traditional with images of flowers and tulips. The chest was part of a dowry pa...

Early 20Thc Hand carved head of Lincoln.This folky head has a black painted shirt.

A monumental vintage Pyramid Pencil Company wood trade sign. Great for a man cave or restaurant!

A scarce early Duluth Fish Decoy American folk art sculpture, depicting a Orca killer whale, hand-carved by the late David Earl Perkins (Duluth, Minnesota, 1934-2018), featuring the realistic original hand-painted black finish with cream white accents, glass eyes and metal fins, signed at the underside "DFD", on a lead weight. circa 1960s/1970s Originally based on lures used for winter spear fishing, see below for the Duluth Fish Decoy story. - Dimensions: (approx) 8" Wide, 3.25" High, 4.75" Deep - Provenance / Acquisition: Property from a prominent Dallas, Texas estate Acquired from highly reputable auction house, Austin Auction Gallery, est.1983, Austin, Texas - Very good original vintage condition with beautifully aged patina and typical wear, character and charm - The Duluth Fish Decoys Story: (From the DFD website and in the words of Dave & Jim Perkins) "I guess it all started when I speared my first northern pike – what a thrill.  The only thing better was to spear one lured in with a decoy I made myself. I made more decoys to spear more fish and found out I liked making decoys as much as spearing northerns.  Well, soon enough, my decoy/lunch box had more decoys than lunch. So I laid off the making and stepped up the spearing. Then when the fish tore them up and they scraped up against each other in the lunch box and they rolled around on the floor of the dark-house they weathered with an aged, charactered, antique patina.  It wasn't long before friends paid more mind to my spearing decoys than my fish stories.  Said they’d like to have some to set on the mantle – said they were folky.  So I laid off the spearing and stepped up the carving. Now I've been making DFD (Duluth Fish Decoys) spearing  decoys for longer than I want to admit – they say you’re only as old as you think you are. Being on the north side of seventy, I been making them for… let’s just say a long time.   I don’t know a web site from a stick of fire wood but the kids and grand-kids have been pestering me to get one for years. In fact, I told Jim, you make the web thing and I'll make the decoys that go on it.  But with the demand being more than I can keep up with, he's been making them right alongside of me - just like when he was a kid. Great to keep it in the family - two generations of DFD. Who'd of thunk it.   What a hoot it’s been to create something so enjoyed by others. Along the way our DFD decoys have ended up in The American Museum of Folk Art, on a limited edition print, in a governor’s mansion, in Hollywood actors' homes, in fishing decoy books, with interior designers, in art galleries, on a DVD, and now in a coffee table book devoted entirely to DFD.  What a hobby it’s been – what a blessing of God.   I hope to continue as long as my health holds out.   Lo, these many years later our DFD spearing decoys are still hand-crafted with that aged, weathered, antique patina.  As with all folk art there’s no two alike.  The pictures give the length of the decoy but it may vary by a half an inch.  They all have glass eyes and are hand painted with a brush – no air brush for us. The lead belly...

A pine wedding chest from Central Europe, probably German, dated 1797. The Neoclassical style persisted in Europe until after the 1820s. This color scheme of terracotta red and earth...

Mid-19th century Benchmade child’s grain painted Miniature chest of drawers. A country piece in the American Empire style, with a step-back drawer and backsplash, above the case with...

This fine 19thc decorated stone ware cake crock is signed by Evan R. Jones and made in Pittston,Pennsylvania.It has two hand applied handles on each side.This crock is in mint condit...

This vintage hand carved and hand painted musical clock is unsigned, but presumed to have been made in or near Austria in circa 1950 in a Folk Art style. The carving depicts a male figure leaning against a post mounted Black Forest styled clock. The carving is quite detailed and well executed on all sides and has been hand painted in a realistic style. Both the clock and the music box are currently not working as both have been over-wound and would require servicing. The head of the carving should turn slightly left to right while the music box is playing, but in its current state it is unknown whether the mechanism functions and/or what tune the music box may play. In addition, there is currently no key for the clock, but these normally use a standard small music box...

This hand carved 20th century wooden staff, was crafted in the style of the Tabwa people located along the southwestern shores of Lake Tanganyika. The handle is finely decorated with...

Rare American folk-art Memento Mori of Hiram Aluro Hill, died age 11, 1845. Good penmanship, watercolor and albumin glaze with borders intact. Foster brothers of Boston frame. This was purchased from...

Antique Danish mangle board (clothing and bedding press) from ca. 1800 to 1850. It is made from oak wood which is hand carved with a rich decoration with geometric blossoms and lots...

Impressive 1960s large Mexican folk art hand painted papier-mâché angel with 5 arm candelabra. Hand painted details over white robe, include hair, face, gold gilt rope collar, pink a...

19th Century Small Sailor's Woolie of the Bark ADA, circa 1880, a small hand-crafted sailor's woolwork of the bark-rigged frigate ADA, a so-called "Sloop of War," rendered with thick...

Vintage 1970's backgammon and chess set depicting the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, 1519-21.. Carved chessman portray the great Montezuma II and Aztec warriors...

Vintage Moroccan Berber tribal bracelet from the High Atlas of Morocco. Handcrafted by Berber women using Moroccan silver nickel. The ethnic Nomadic and Bedouin jewelry from the Ma...

This is an early Russian orthodox travelling Icon, hand made of bronze, which we date to 18th Century or earlier. The bronze icon is cast with a main rectangular slightly curved shape with a smaller rectangular tab section above. The reverse has a hanging spigot cast into the top tab section. This piece has a mix of colours within the bronze with the high points being worn and shiny from wear and use. This antique bronze icon probably depicts Saint Nicholas as the central image with other figures ( children?) either side of the head, all within a border. There are other details on the icon including letters and numbers towards the top of the main rectangle. The tab section is also decorated. The reverse also carries decoration but is quite worn. Overall an early and very interesting Russian bronze Icon...

A collection of 5 wrought iron eel forks from the 18th century. Extremely decorative and each one unique. Each one is a work of art. Sizes vary from 37 cm to 42 cm. Would look am...

Thirty-nine piece set of Mid Century ceramic pottery Christmas ornaments hand crafted by Peggy Beaver who was quite the artist in Columbia, SC. The white glaze “frosting” has chipped...

A colorful one-of-a-kind Tibetan rug from the 2nd quarter of the 20th century with a colorful dragon motif Measures: 3'1'' x 5'1''.