Collectibles and Curiosities
10
1,964
258
185
to
171
1,431
907
2,407
2,357
2,383
156
90
89
60
49
41
16
16
14
13
13
13
5
4
2
1
99
359
1,505
443
312
475
447
38
39
55
64
64
91
85
103
106
123
1,022
866
203
198
180
1,001
746
659
324
199
25
15
13
11
8
Collectibles and Curiosities For Sale
Color: Black
Color: Green
Map Bedfordshire General Framed
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
A general map of Bedfordshire with its hundreds
A scale of 5 miles
in the original green mount and traditional black and gold frame. Measures: 36cm 14" high.
Category
18th Century English Georgian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
19th Century Hand Written Persian Book
Located in London, GB
19th century oil on board of a Blacksmith
Of rectangular form, the papier Mache and ebonised cover is finely painted, covered in flowers and a circular motif to the central section...
Category
1850s Unknown Folk Art Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Coldplay Signed Colour Photograph
Located in Jersey, GB
A fully-signed signed colour photograph of British rock band Coldplay
Formed in London in 1996, Coldplay are one of the biggest rock bands of the pa...
Category
1990s Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Antique Gladstone Leather "Who Shall Separate Us" Badge Military Satchel Ca 1900
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique Gladstone leather Military Satchel with Quote, "Who Shall Separate Us" Badge, Circa 1900.
Category
Early 20th Century English Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth 1950 Signed Christmas Card
Located in Jersey, GB
A majestic Royal family Christmas card signed by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1950
Albert Windsor married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923. He was the second in line to the throne, after his older brother, Edward.
However, in 1936 Edward abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson. Albert was forced to take the throne in his place and was crowned George VI.
His reign was defined by the second world war and the rapid decline of the British Empire that followed.
Elizabeth and George’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth II, was Britain’s longest reigning monarch.
This stunning Christmas card was sent out at Christmas in 1950, just two years before Elizabeth II's accession to the throne.
Hugely scarce - one of just 7 known to exist.
The card is dated and signed "1950, George R.I." and "Elizabeth R", with both signing boldly in black ink.
The portrait on the card also features Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth, and depicts the family in highland dress.
The card is signed by George VI and Queen Elizabeth on the left-hand inside panel, with the portrait on the right.
This card measures approximately 7 x 6 inches when closed.
The Christmas card also comes with superb provenance, having been originally presented to a valued employee at Buckingham Palace and passed down through his family for more than 60 years.
A rare and beautiful piece of Royal memorabilia...
Category
1950s British Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Set Of 3 Miniature Amber And Silver Harley Davidson Style Motor Bikes
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Set of 3 Miniature Amber and Silver Harley Davidson Style Motor Bikes
925 stamped silver.
Category
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver
Illusion in Design: New Trends in Architecture and Interiors
Located in New York, NY
Author Paul Gunther and Gay Giordano
Cutting-edge examples of the use of optical illusion in design—from trompe l’oeil to anamorphosis—to solve various challenges, be they space or budget related, or that act as aesthetic features in architecture and the fields that rub elbows with it: art, design, and furniture.
This magical volume presents the startling world of illusion in design as employed by today’s architects, interior designers, furniture designers, and others at work bending the appearance of reality for purposes of aesthetics or practicality or fun. From a faux bookcase that masks a room or Prohibition-style bar, to the mind-boggling Escher-like effects achieved by Casa Ceramica, whose optical illusion of a floor dips into valleys and rises into mounds (but is in reality flat), the book is a revelation and an inspiration. It offers to us the possibility that nearly anything can be done, if it can be imagined—even in our own homes.
The authors look at residences across the globe, as well as spaces beyond the home, that utilize a myriad of surprising techniques.
Included are projects by conceptual designers such as Studio Malka and Vector Architects, as well as established practitioners such as Ferguson and Shamamian, G. P. Schafer, Peter Pennoyer...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Set 5, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, Lost Worlds, Middle Ages, Elizab, World
Located in valatie, NY
Set of 5 Books: Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, Lost Worlds, Middle Ages, Elizabethan World. New York: American Heritage Publishing Co. Ancient Rome: in an age when Latin has become ra...
Category
1960s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
'Rackham' English Fairy Tales. Retold by Flora Annie Steel, 1918 LEATHER BOUND!
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: STEEL, Flora Annie (Arthur Rackham).
TITLE: English Fairy Tales. Retold by Flora Annie Steel.
PUBLISHER: NY: Macmillan Co., 1918.
DESCRIPTION: LARGE PAPER LIMITED E...
Category
1910s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
Black and Silver Ted Flowers Parade Saddle
Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
Black with silver parade saddle, horsehead on top of saddle horn, matching breastplate. Not maker marked; probably Ted Flowers.
Period: Estimate 1950s.
...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
1940s Vintage Modern Ambriz Floral Link Bracelet Sterling Silver Taxco Mexico
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1940s vintage Modern Floral link bracelet sterling silver made in Taxco, Mexico
maker stamped Mexico
Sterling silver large link bracelet a...
Category
1940s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver, Sterling Silver
Basquiat: Boom for Real Herbert Kasper's Estate With 1 of His Paintings Illus
Located in valatie, NY
Basquiat: Boom for Real by Eleanor Nairne and Dieter Buchhart. 1st Ed hardcover no dust jacket as issued. Published by Prestel, Munich, 2017, for exhibitions in London and Frankfurt....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary German Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
20th Century Toy Car
By Lehmann
Located in Copenhagen, K
Beautifully colored metal toy cars. The one of the left from Lehmann is sold, the other one from Germany marked G & K on the side of the car is still a...
Category
20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Josef Hoffmann: Interiors 1902-1913, Christian Witt-Dörring, Prestel, 2006
Located in London, GB
First edition, published by Prestel in 2006 in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name at Neue Gallerie, New York, November 2006 - February 2007.
An in-depth look at the ...
Category
Early 2000s Vienna Secession Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Margaret Thatcher Signed Photograph
Located in Jersey, GB
A signed black and white photograph of British prime minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher (1925 - 2013) was the UK's first female prime min...
Category
Late 20th Century British Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Sterling Silver Zuni Bolo by Elliot Qualo
Located in Toledo, OH
Sterling silver Zuni bolo by Elliot Qualo. Circa 1960's. Elliot Qualo born on the Zuni Reservation in the 1930s was a very prolific silver artist in the 60's...
Category
Mid-20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Sterling Silver
The Girl Next Door - Richard Prince - 1st Edition, Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2000
By Richard Prince 1
Located in London, GB
First Edition, published by Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern, 2000.
Boundary-pushing photographer and 'rephotographer' Richard Prince released this photobook and exhibition catalogue in 2000 to accompany a show at MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles and Vienna. Combining images he took of upstate New York in the mid-to-late nineties and appropriated images, and placing them alongside studio images of his 'Joke Paintings', Prince explores an aesthetic of basketball hoops...
Category
Early 2000s German Post-Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Common Threads, Photographs and Stories from the South
Located in Bradenton, FL
Common Threads - Photographs and Stories from the South by Chip Cooper and Kathryn Tucker Windham. Hardcover book with dustjacket. First edition published in 2000 by CKM Press. Illus...
Category
Early 2000s Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Brass US Navy Boat Binnacle
Located in Norwell, MA
Solid Brass highly polished boat binnacle with makers plate which reads “US Navy Bureau of Ships, C.G. Conn, LTD Elkhart Indiana. Fitted with a compass from Jo...
Category
1940s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
Asian Indian Hindu Ethnographic Tribal silver Amulet necklace Vintage
Located in London, GB
Indian Hindu Silver Amulet necklace
Heavy bullet shaped Amulet necklace with pointed ends with floral and geometric design
High grade silver
Pendant Length 9 cm weight 90 gra...
Category
Early 20th Century Southeast Asian Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver
Arthur Dove, A Retrospective
Located in Bradenton, FL
Arthur Dove: a Retrospective by Debra Bricker Balken. Softcover book, published in 1997 by The Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy and Th...
Category
1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
William Timlin. The Ship That Sailed to Mars. 1st Ed of the Author's Only Book
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
Author: Timlin, William M.
Title: The Ship That Sailed To Mars.
Publisher: London: George G. Harrap & Co., Ltd., 1923.
Description: First edition of the author's only book. ...
Category
1920s British Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
1950s Native Aztec Sterling Silver Brooch Pendant Pin Mexico
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1950s Vintage Native sterling silver brooch pendant Aztec Pin Made in Mexico
Maker Stamped from Mexico
2 w x 2.5 tall x .13 thickness
Preowned original vintage condition
See imag...
Category
1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Sterling Silver
The Art of African Textiles 1997
Located in North Hollywood, CA
The Art Of African Textiles
Clarke, Duncan. Published by Thunder Bay., San Diego., 2002.
This book offers a fascinating journey through the history and culture of textiles in Afric...
Category
Late 20th Century African Tribal Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Lady's Cowboy Boots "Turquoise Python" by Corral
Located in Incline Village, NV
Lightly worn and in very good condition, these lady's cowboy boots were manufactured by the world famous boot maker "Corral", located in Leon Guanajuato, Mexico; renowned for high quality exotic cowboy boots for women. Featured in "Cowgirl Magazine" Corral boots...
Category
2010s Mexican Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
15 Volumes, James Boswell, Esq. The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.
Located in New York, NY
15 Volumes. James Boswell, Esq. The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. Bound in full green morocco with a gilt border. Raised band spine gilt with panels dis...
Category
1820s English Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
Walking Stick, Germany, Ebonized with a Silver Handle, Around 1910
Located in Berlin, DE
Walking stick, Germany, ebonized with a silver handle, around 1910.
Real silver knob, antique historical condition.
Please refer to the detailed photos for the condition.
(V-225)
Category
Early 20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver
French Hand-Crafted and Painted Ceramic Trinket or Jewelry Box
Located in Miami, FL
A beautiful hand-crafted ceramic lidded trinket or jewelry box.
Mid-20th century, French.
Used as decorative item, this piece would enhance any shelf or tabletop.
Measures: 6 1/8...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Ceramic
Half Model of the Yacht Endeavor, Silver
Located in Norwell, MA
Fine half model of the 1934 America’s cup defending Yacht Endeavor. The model has a planked deck with Toe Rails, Hatch, Skylights, Helm, Spinnaker Pole, Hatch, Etc. The Hull is paint...
Category
2010s North American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
Set of Old Bound Books, 19th Century
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Set of old books dating from the 19th century. From an old protestant library near Le Havre in France. These books are entitled "Histoire du protestantisme français" (History of Fren...
Category
19th Century French Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Paper
Vintage Book of Knowledge Home Town Battery Mechanical Bank, 20th Century
Located in Big Flats, NY
A vintage Book of Knowledge Home Town Battery mechanical bank offers polychrome cast construction with pitcher, batter and catcher on base with embos...
Category
20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Iron
Arts & Crafts Twisted Walking Cane with Beaten Brass Handle Golf
Located in Chillerton, Isle of Wight
Arts & Crafts twisted walking cane with beaten brass handle
This charming twisted cane is in the Arts and Crafts tradition with beaten brass Knob at the handle which has a rope co...
Category
Late 19th Century Arts and Crafts Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
Italian Mid-Century Modern Brionvega Algol 11 Black Television, 1968
By Brionvega
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Mid-Century Modern Brionvega Algol 11 black television, 1968.
Brionvega Algol 11 black television, not revised. This is an object in its original state of conservation.
G...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal, Metallic Thread
Rare Antique Novelty Sterling Silver Cigar Cutter, 1899
Located in Bath, GB
A magnificent and rare figural sterling silver cigar cutter; the terminal beautifully cast as a Boar's head retaining two original red stone / glas...
Category
1890s British Late Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Sterling Silver
Real Toscana Sheep Black Fur Rabbit Toy
By JG Switzer
Located in Sebastopol, CA
Design commissioned by JG SWITZER from a Ukranian plush toy artist, and sewn in our workshop from fluffy fur scraps, LITTLE JG RABBIT is for Bigs AND Littles. Created from our re-purposed, real Toscana...
Category
2010s American Arts and Crafts Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Fur
Brass Yacht Binnacle Compass
Located in Norwell, MA
Solid brass boat compass binnacle that has been meticulously polished and lacquered. Gimballed compass inside. Mounted to a varnished wood base with carved rope border. Interior has ...
Category
1930s North American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
The Secular Furniture of E.W. Godwin - Catalogue Raisonné - 1st Edition 1999
Located in London, GB
First Edition, published for The Bard Graduate Center by Yale University Press, 1999. Text by Susan Weber Soros.
"The Secular Furniture of E. W. Godwin" is a fascinating exploration...
Category
1990s American Aesthetic Movement Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Italy 1930 Deco Glass Perfume Sprayer with Black Silk Air Pump
Located in Brescia, IT
This perfum bottle is an original Art Deco piece.
We can find the expression of Art Deco style in this perfum bottle at a high level and the result is a great elegance.
The part in s...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silk, Glass
The Art of Dale Chihuly Hardcover Table Book
By Dale Chihuly
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Title: The Art of Dale Chihuly.
"The Art of Dale Chihuly is published on the occasion of a major exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. It traces the evolution of the a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Organic Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
The Triumph of Marriage, Painted Cassoni of the Renaissance
Located in Bradenton, FL
The Triumph of Marriage - Painted Cassoni of the Renaissance. Published for the exhibition; The Triumph of Marriage - Painted Cassoni of the Renaissance at the Isabella Stewart Gardner...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Last African Warriors by Gianni Giansanti
Located in valatie, NY
The Last African Warriors by Gianni Giansanti. Published by White Star Publishers, 2011. Hardcover with dust jacket. A splendid pictorial journey acros...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
20th Century, French Brass Eiffel Tower Decorations, Pair
Located in High Point, NC
This pair of brass decorations in the shape of the Eiffel tower conjures the romance of a voyage to Paris. Made in France in the 20th Century, the intricate lattice-work is rendered ...
Category
20th Century French French Provincial Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
Edgar Allan POE. The Bells & Other Poems. LIMITED EDITION SIGNED BY EDMUND DULAC
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: POE, Edgar Allan.
TITLE: The Bells And Other Poems.
PUBLISHER: London: Hodder and Stoughton, n.d., (1912).
DESCRIPTION: LIMITED SIGNED EDITION. 1 vol., 12-5/16" x 10-1/2", limited to 750 numbered and signed copies by the illustrator Edmund Dulac...
Category
1910s British Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
United State Navy Ships Binnacle Compass
Located in Norwell, MA
Immense three-hundred-pound ships binnacle compass with highly polished and lacquered finish. With maker’s plate from Lionel Corp. With the rarely fou...
Category
1940s North American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
Rare Chenille Cotton Basket Christmas Ornament Antique, German, 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A rare Christmas ornament. It was made from Chenille, wire and cotton, this would be a great antique addition for your Christmas or feather tree.
Category
1910s German Folk Art Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wire
1970s Navajo Southwestern Silver and Stone Decorative Cuff Bracelet Watch Band
By Navajo
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1970s Navajo Silver and Stone Decorative Cuff Bracelet Watch Band
Measures: 2.38 tall x 3.38 width 1.75 depth
Preowned used vintage condition.
See all images.
Category
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Stone, Silver
2 Italian Metal Tole Cross Rose Wall Decorations Stations of the Cross, c 1850
Located in Modena (MO), Modena (Mo)
Original hand painted tole crosses with rays and rose in center. These came from a small chapel in Northern Italy that were hanging over each station of the cross. If you need more t...
Category
1850s Italian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Christie's Part I & II, Childwick Bury, Objects, Fine French & English Furniture
Located in valatie, NY
Christie's Part I & II, Childwick Bury, St. Albans, Hertfordshire Objects of Art, Fine French and Important English Furniture. Christie's May 15, 1978. 1345 Lots with B&W photos with estimates and descriptions. Childwickbury Manor is a manor house in the hamlet of Childwickbury, Hertfordshire, England, between St Albans and Harpenden. The Lomax family bought the house in 1666 and lived there until 1854 when Joshua Lomax sold it to Henry Hayman Toulmin, a wealthy ship owner, High Sheriff of Hertfordshire and mayor of St Albans. Toulmin left the property to Sir John Blundell Maple around 20 years later. Toulmin's granddaughter, the author Mary Carbery, was born at the house. Sir John Blundell Maple, 1st Baronet bred and raced thoroughbreds and built Childwickbury Stud into a very successful horse breeding operation. Another prominent racehorse owner, Jack Barnato Joel, bought the estate including the stud farm in 1906. On his death in 1940, his son Jim Joel took over the operation. He too became a successful racehorse owner and breeder and maintained the property until 1978 when the stud and the manor were sold separately. Film director Stanley Kubrick bought the manor in 1978. He used the estate as both a home and a nerve centre for his film productions. He lived there until his death in 1999 and is interred in its grounds together with his eldest daughter Anya Kubrick, who died in 2009. His widow, Christiane Kubrick...
Category
1970s English Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Antique walking stick/cane, Germany from 1910 with owner's stamp, real silver
Located in Berlin, DE
Antique walking stick/cane, Germany from 1910 with owner's stamp, real silver
antique historical condition.
Please refer to the detailed photos for the condition
(V-222)
Category
Early 1900s Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver
Pair of Vintage Montblanc Meisterstruck & Starwalker Pens with Boxes & Papers
By Montblanc
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This pair of vintage rollerball pens were made by the well known Montblanc factory of Germany in approximately 1990 in their classic modern style. theiThe black cased pen from this grouping is their "Meisterstruck" model with a clear tip on the cap, and a gold band around the center of the barrel with "MONTBLANC" and "MEISTERSTRUCK" in block letters. The other pen of this group with the brushed metal case is their "Starwalker" model. Both pens come with thier original fitted boxes, and we have one outer box and some paperwork. Both of these Montblanc rollerball pens...
Category
Late 20th Century German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Stainless Steel
Interior Affairs Sofia Aspe and the Art of Design
Located in New York, NY
Edited by Sofia Aspe, Foreword by Cristina Morozzi
A luxurious presentation of the works by prominent Mexican interior designer Sofía Aspe, known for cre...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
'Arcadia' 21', a traditional goats' bell for the home
Located in Athens, GR
A traditional goats’ bell reversed, reworked and upcycled into a luxurious accessory for the home.
A symbolic artefact acting as a metaphor for the rise from...
Category
2010s Greek Post-Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Steel
Art of Biedermeier Viennese Art and Design 1815-1845 by Dominic R Stone
Located in valatie, NY
The Art of Biedermeier Viennese Art and Design 1815-1845 by Dominic R Stone. Published by Chartwell Books Inc, Edison, NJ, 1990. 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. 128pp. Color photo...
Category
1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Treasures of the Vatican, by Maurizio Calves, 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
Treasures of the Vatican: St. Peter's Basilica, The Vatican Museums and Galleries, The Treasure of St. Peter's, The Vatican Grottos and Necropolis, and The Vatican Palaces by Maurizi...
Category
1960s Swiss Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Ships Telegraph from Spanish Sub Chaser “Temerario”
Located in Norwell, MA
Spanish ships engine order telegraph. With commands in Spanish, commands include toda, media, despacio, para, etc. With info on what ship it was from. Qua...
Category
1940s European Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Steel
Vuarnet France Pouilloux 031 Black Frame Wrap Around Round Sunglasses & Case
Located in Dayton, OH
Vuarnet black wrap around sunglasses and leather case; made in France.
Category
Late 20th Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Plastic
4- Foot Half Model of the J Class Yacht Endeavor, Gold
Located in Norwell, MA
Half model of the America’s cup Yacht Endeavor. This is a 4-foot hull mounted to a blackboard. The Hull is painted blue over gold. The planked deck has skylights, Companionway, Spinn...
Category
2010s North American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
Plain Tales From The Hills by Rudyard Kipling
Located in New York, NY
Plain Tales from the Hills by Rudyard Kipling. Brilliant blue linen cloth cover with gold embossed cover. Beautiful aesthetic edition to a fine and decorative library, retailed by the Frederick Loeser...
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Linen
Antique and Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities for Sale
Antique and vintage collectibles and curiosities can bring whimsy and wonder to any interior.
Decorating with old scientific instruments, historical memorabilia and vintage musical instruments, as well as other authentic collectibles and curiosities that can be found on 1stDibs, presents an opportunity to create a unique, natural history museum-like atmosphere in your home that can provoke conversation as often as it pays tribute to how far we’ve come in understanding our world.
And bringing collectibles and curiosities into your space is actually on trend — Wunderkammern, or curiosity cabinets, were all the rage in Europe during the 1500s and continued to have adherents there and in the U.S. in the following centuries. Today, however, they’re experiencing a real surge in popularity and influencing how many interior designers are furnishing and decorating homes — combining contemporary with antique, scientific with tribal, earthly with extraterrestrial, Les Lalanne tables with Flemish tapestries.
The original Wunderkammern were entire rooms filled with objects demonstrating their owners’ worldly knowledge: A proper one included artificiala or preciosa (objets d’art); naturalia (such as skeletons, shells, minerals); exotica (taxidermy or dried plants); and scientifica (scientific instruments), frequently alongside religious relics and ancient artifacts.
Pay tribute to a history of rich and diverse musical traditions that have taken shape all over the world by decorating your home with a collection of antique and vintage musical instruments — with a little help from strong hanging wire or some wall hooks, vintage brass instruments such as a gong, French horn or trumpet can help elevate a home office or complement the efforts you’ve made to ensure a welcoming vibe in your home’s entryway. Bells or antique wind instruments can add provocative metallic contrasts to dark woods as tabletop decorative objects.
Create an intriguing focal point with Georgian scientific instruments, such as stick barometers with mahogany cases or lacquered brass telescopes. These items stem from an era named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who ruled England in succession starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign, which lasted until 1837). Just as there was beautiful jewelry produced during the period that today is coveted by collectors, there is much to be found in the collectibles and curiosities realm too.
Wanderlust, nostalgia and a shared love of good design are contributing factors to certain trends in decorating — just as vintage trunks and luggage have reappeared as furniture or home accents in a bedroom or foyer, decorating with globes, maps or nautical objects is similarly rooted in the allure of travel and a penchant for the stylish finishing touch that collectibles bring to our homes.
Find a wide range of antique and vintage collectibles and curiosities on 1stDibs.
Read More
Pamela Shamshiri Shares the Secrets behind Her First-Ever Book and Its Effortlessly Cool Interiors
The sought-after designer worked with the team at Hoffman Creative to produce a monograph that beautifully showcases some of Studio Shamshiri's most inspiring projects.
Moroccan Artworks and Objects Take Center Stage in an Extraordinary Villa in Tangier
Italian writer and collector Umberto Pasti opens the doors to his remarkable cave of wonders in North Africa.
Montecito Has Drawn Royalty and Celebrities, and These Homes Are Proof of Its Allure
Hollywood A-listers, ex-pat aristocrats and art collectors and style setters of all stripes appreciate the allure of the coastal California hamlet — much on our minds after recent winter floods.
Whaam! Blam! Pow! — a New Book on Pop Art Packs a Punch
Publishing house Assouline and writer Julie Belcove have teamed up to trace the history of the genre, from Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Yayoi Kusama to Mickalene Thomas and Jeff Koons.
The Sparkling Legacy of Tiffany & Co. Explained, One Jewel at a Time
A gorgeous new book celebrates — and memorializes — the iconic jeweler’s rich heritage.
What Makes a Gem-Encrusted Chess Set Worth $4 Million?
The world’s most opulent chess set, weighing in at 513 carats, is literally fit for a king and queen.
Tauba Auerbach’s Geometric Pop-Up Book Is Mighty Rare, Thanks to a Hurricane
This sculptural art book has an epic backstory of its own.
Step inside the Storied Mansions of Palm Beach’s Most Effervescent Architect
From Spanish-style courtyards to fanciful fountains, these acclaimed structures abound in surprising and elegant details.
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Antique Iron Collectors
Vintage Framed Art Collectable
Black Victorian Display
Antique Wood Shoes
Antique Iron Wheel
Vintage Furniture Supplier
Vintage Furniture Suppliers
American Streamline
Vintage Wine Collectables
Vintage Wine Collectibles
Antique Iron Screws
Antique Yard
Vintage Electronics Electronics
Electronics Vintage
Wood Staircase
Vintage Cat Collectables
Vintage Cat Collectibles
Horse Antiques Collectables