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.
1990's Whimsical Folk Art MacKenzie-Childs Ceramic Floor Lamp
Located in Burbank, CA
Vintage folk art floor lamp for sale. Manufactured by the unique and fabulous MacKenzie-Childs, and is a one-of-a-kind. It was hand painted by the artists and is signed and dated 199...
Ceramic
Carnival Style Floor Lamp, Hand-Crafted Lucite & Wood, 1950s USA
Located in Hudson, NY
Painted boxes from a vintage circus dog act / Black lacquer & lucite midcentury fixture at top w/ large globe bulb / Black cord w/ floor dimmer / Castors added / 2025
Lucite, Wood
French Flok Art, Huge Grape Vine Floor Lamp, France, circa 1960
Located in leucate, FR
French Folk Art. Beautiful grape vine floor lamp. Base made with a large vine with several arms, which makes it very stable, a small table is integrated at 26''. For sale without ...
Wood
Tatupeba Floor Lamp BLACK in Natural Palm Fiber - EU plug typ C
Located in BR
Prized as the best work of its category in the Novos Talentos Brasileiros (New Brazilian Talents) Award in 2020, now comes in a new version as a floor lamp. the Tatubepa lamp is a p...
Sheet Metal
Tatupeba Floor Lamp GOLDEN BROWN in Natural Palm Fiber - EU plug typ C
Located in BR
Prized as the best work of its category in the Novos Talentos Brasileiros (New Brazilian Talents) Award in 2020, now comes in a new version as a floor lamp. the Tatubepa lamp is a p...
Sheet Metal
French Folk Art Floor Lamp, Early 20th Century
Located in Warminster, GB
A folk art floor lamp comprised of antique iron fireplace trammel and firedog, early 20C. Stock ref. #3092 Professionally rewired to UK standards. New tapered calico shade include...
Iron
Large French Folk Art Wrought Iron Floor Lamp
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
One-of-a-kind, large floor lamp, entirely handmade out of iron, which has been wrought into hundreds of spirals then assembled together to form the structure of the lamp.
Wrought Iron
Architecual Element Lamp w/ Floral Ticking Shade
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Zinc Architectural Element lamp w/ Floral Ticking shade Lamp with Shade H 64 Lamp Base 9 x 11 x 45 H Shade top: 14.5 Dia shade bottom: 22 Dia.
Zinc
Hammered Brass Folk Art Modernist Floor Lamp
Located in San Mateo, CA
Amateur craftsman made modernist floor lamp. The lamp is a little arts and crafts, art deco and machine age combined. A great imaginative form, the lamp is made of found brass pieces...
Brass
Impressive Ceramic Floor or Table Lamp in Mystic and Majestic Mayan Style
Located in Doornspijk, NL
This eye catching floor or table lamp in Mayan style truly is an impressive piece. Its foot is a large ceramic statue of a queen and her child, or a king ...
Ceramic, Suede, Velvet
Unusual Folk Art, Bespoke Billiard Themed Floor Lamp, 8-Ball, Modernist
Located in Buffalo, NY
Unusual Folk Art, Bespoke Billiard Themed floor lamp.. 8-ball. Modernist, que sticks, Hand crafted, Shade measuring 16" in diameter.
Brass
A Novelty Lighthouse Floor Lamp Great fun and the ideal piece for a seaside
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
A Novelty Lighthouse Floor Lamp Great fun and the ideal piece for a seaside theme, this one off piece is made in wood and has an old reconditioned brass Nautical Post light at the t...
Brass
Vintage Boho Hand Painted Female Floor Lamp
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A spectacular and truly one-of-a-kind piece of functional sculpture, this vintage floor lamp is a testament to artistic vision and playful design. Drawing inspiration from Folk Art a...
Fabric, Wood, Paint
Hand-Carved Spanish Folk Art Floor Lamp with Original Shade, 1950
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Spanish Folk Art floor standing standard lamp A traditionally turned, carved and painted piece from Spain. This wooden lamp stands on a square ba...
Softwood
H 82.68 in W 35.44 in D 35.44 in
Rattan « coconut tree/palm tree » floor lamp
Located in Isle Sur Sorgue, FR
Very decorative floor lamp with 10 green adjustable palms and 3 lights in the coconuts. Great quality as it is all very meticulously hand made (no chinese low range copy here).. Exce...
Rattan
H 59.06 in W 26.78 in D 20.08 in
Brass and Leather 'Hase BL' Floor Lamp by Kalmar - US Plug
By J.T. Kalmar, Kalmar Lighting
Located in Utrecht, NL
Floor lamp 'Hase BL' originally designed in 1952 by J.T. Kalmar, Austria, executed in polished brass, partly wrapped in a tactile leather to serve as a grip fo...
Brass
H 65 in W 19 in D 12 in
1950s 13 Lights Solid Brass Floor Lamp , USA
By Stilnovo, Arredoluce, Maison Jansen, Hans Kögl
Located in St- Leonard, Quebec
Massive 65 in. tall brass 13 flowers / lights sculptural floor lamp made in the USA in the 50s . Lots of well made details in the flowers , foliage and branches . All made of sol...
Brass
H 39.38 in Dm 12.21 in
Wabi sabi natural fiber floor lamp, Denmark 1960s
By Hans J. Wegner, Axel Vervoordt, Adrien Audoux and Frida Minnet
Located in ECHT, NL
Mid century floor lamp. It has a wooden (teak) tripod base with a cylindrical shade. The shade is hand crafted with natural fiber rope. The upper and lower edge are finished of with ...
Natural Fiber, Wood
H 69.69 in Dm 7.88 in
Contemporary Floor Lamp '8' in Black Terrazzo
By Bentu Design
Located in Paris, IDF
'8' floor lamp in black terrazzo Measures: Ø20 cm × H 177 cm Bulb: E27 LED 3W 100-240V 80Ra 200LM 3000K - Comptable with US electric system. Bentu De...
Concrete
H 63.5 in Dm 14.5 in
Early 20th Century Carved Wood Floor Lamp, English
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Early 20th century carved wood floor lamp, English. Likely made from a much earlier bed post or torchiere. Mahogany. The shaft well reeded ending in bulbous turnings and disc base. S...
Wood
H 24.02 in W 15.75 in D 15.75 in
1950s French Folk Art Brutalist Iron Floor lamp
Located in London, GB
A forged and welded iron, brutalist style floor lamp, partly formed from antique domestic/agricultural tools - in this case a crémaillère. Typical folk-art work of the Provence regio...
Iron
H 85.44 in Dm 42.13 in
1970's Palm Tree Floor Lamp in Murano Glass
Located in NICE, FR
We present you this large floor lamp in the shape of a palm tree in Murano Glass. This lamp's pieces are entirely detachable and capable of holding up to four bulbs with our recent m...
Brass
H 51.58 in W 7.49 in D 6.7 in
Early 20th Century Brass Floor Lamp
Located in London, London
Brass floor lamp. Elegantly poised, this brass floor lamp takes inspiration from the classic candlestick form, featuring a gracefully tiered column with subtle detailing. The warm p...
Brass
H 69 in W 6.75 in D 17 in
Italiana Luce Floor Lamp Circa 1990s
Located in Oakland, CA
1990s floor lamp by Italiana Luce of Italy. Cast iron base painted steel stem with a heavy frosted glass shade. This is an exceptionally we...
Steel
H 78 in W 26.75 in D 20 in
Cherry Floor Lamp, France circa 1930
Located in Culver City, CA
France, 1930 Floor lamp made from cherry wood with shelves and woven shade. 26.75”w x 20”d x 78”h Ref. L5404 $ 5,800
Cherry
H 64 in W 20 in D 11 in
Mid Century Art Deco Skyscraper Rocket Folk Art Wooden Floor Lamp
Located in Bernville, PA
Magnificent mid century Art Deco skyscraper rocket Folk Art wooden floor lamp. Skyscraper light fixture and rocket sit atop of an incredibly detailed ...
Wood
H 59.75 in W 15 in D 15 in
Folk Art Faucet Motif Mixed Metal Floor Lamp
Located in Astoria, NY
Folk Art Faucet Motif Mixed Metal Floor Lamp, with perforated bucket lampshade atop copper piping terminating in four faucet form feet. Overall: 59.75" H x 15" Diameter. Provenance: ...
Metal, Copper
H 70.5 in W 15.5 in D 17.5 in
Fine Hand-Forged Iron Floor Lamp Pair
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A particularly noteworthy pair of iron floor lamps with delicate traditional form standing on tripod bases having a primitive three-toe foot. The upper portions with scrolled iron el...
Iron
H 64 in W 16.75 in D 16 in
Folk Art Industrial Wood Floor Lamp
Located in New York, NY
Unique Folk Art floor lamp, constructed of a 19th C factory gear piece, later mounted and wired as a floor lamp. The lamp features a vertical center post which is threaded like a scr...
Wood
H 69.63 in Dm 16.5 in
Art Deco Era Folk Art Floor Lamp
Located in Fulton, CA
An Art Deco era floor lamp comprised of scrap pieces of various woods. A one-of-a kind Folk Art creation. Stands 69.63 inches tall. Original finish and condition. Vintage lamp shade ...
Scrap Wood
H 97 in W 32 in D 36.5 in
Giant 8-Foot Tall Tree Trunk Mushroom Floor Lamp with Burl Knot Wood Shade
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Well Alice, you chased that white rabbit and it brought you here, to this colossal floor lamp where logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead. Nearly beyond description, but these three words come close. Magical, mystical, whimsical. This truly one-of-a-kind masterpiece is going to be excruciatingly hard to let go. Everyone at FMV is already getting depressed and sentimental just thinking about it being sold and taken away. The prehistoric looking lampshade is actually a 3-foot wide, solid burl knot. This naturally formed, bell shaped wood formation...
Metal
H 60.63 in W 10.63 in D 10.63 in
Dachshund English 1960s Floor Lamp
Located in London, GB
Lovely folk art sausage dog floor lamp, great detail to the features. Rewired with bronze rope twisted silk flex. Delightful vintage light. Made in England in the 1960s.
Wood
H 63 in W 15 in D 11 in
Vintage Cholla Cactus Skeleton Floor Lamp
Located in Forney, TX
A unique and interesting cholla cactus skeleton turned floor lamp, freestanding, hand-crafted, this charming piece of American Southwest folk art is sure...
Organic Material
H 35.44 in W 35.44 in D 17.72 in
1930s Austin 10 Grille with Lucas King of the Road Head Lights
By Herbert Austin
Located in Søborg, DK
1930s Austin 10 Grille with Lucas King of the road head lights. Mounted onto a cast iron base and converted with LED lights. Original paint and with an overa...
Brass, Chrome, Iron
H 56 in W 24 in D 24 in
Tall Unusual French Conservatory Painted Toleware Floor Lamp
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
A tall unusual French conservatory painted toleware floor lamp. The theme of this lamp is a bamboo tree, and it will give a pleasant light and l...
H 57.09 in Dm 12.6 in
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
H 44 in W 10.5 in D 10.5 in
Colorful French Broken Plate "Pique Assiette" Mosaic Floor Lamp, circa 1940
Located in Houston, TX
Curious and colorful one of a kind, handmade lamp made from pieces of vintage and antique china and figurines. Round centre post on a square base. Has figural and animal statues atta...
Ceramic, Pottery
H 66 in W 14.5 in D 11.5 in
Elegant carved wood floor lamp with frosted glass shade
Located in Palm Springs, CA
An elegant carved wood floor lamp with a frosted glass shade. It is well done with a nice stained finish.
Wood