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Collectibles and Curiosities For Sale
19th Century Great Quality Gilt Bronze Wall Crucifix on a Carved & Inlaid Cross
Located in Lisse, NL
Rare and finest Gilded bronze crucifix mounted on a oak cross. The striking details on this highest quality bronze sculpture of Christ are second to none and the antique gilt finish...
Category

Late 19th Century European Gothic Revival Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Bronze

Vintage Map of the Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles
Located in Langweer, NL
Vintage map titled 'Antilles'. Original map of the Antilles. Shows the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Hispaniola (subdivided into the nations of the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Also shows the Lesser Antilles...
Category

20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Dunhill 18 Carat Gold Plated Red Lacquered Rollagas Classic Cigarette Lighter
Located in Reading, Berkshire
Elegant Dunhill Red Lacquered 18 Carat Gold Plated Rollagas Classic Cigarette Lighter Made in Switzerland With Dunhill Embossed Box Inscribed with "Dunhill" on the base. Weighs 75g...
Category

Late 20th Century Swiss Art Deco Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Gold Plate

Framed Nautical Yachting Flag
Located in Norwell, MA
Marine flag showing a fouled anchor with three stars, which signify that a past yacht club's commodore is on board. Blue field with white anchor and stars,...
Category

1950s North American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Cotton

'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

MARTIN GILBERT. The Life of Winston Churchill - 8 vols. 1966-88 ALL 1st EDITIONS
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: CHURCHILL, Randolph S., continued by Martin Gilbert. TITLE: The Life of Winston Churchill. PUBLISHER: London: Heinemann, 1966-88. DESCRIPTION: ALL FIRST EDITIONS. 8 vols....
Category

1960s British Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Leather

English Burl Walnut Brass Mounted Book Safe with 2 Tree Calf Leather Bindings
Located in San Francisco, CA
A rare and unusual English burl walnut brass mounted book safe of unusually fine quality containing 2 leather bound volumes marketed by Asprey & Company, England. I have never seen a...
Category

Late 19th Century European Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Brass

Boat Compass on Gimbal in a Mahogany Box
Located in Norwell, MA
Solid brass gimbaled boat compass that has been meticulously polished and lacquered, and fitted to a varnished mahogany box with a lid. The lid has two brass hooks. This fine old com...
Category

1940s North American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Brass

Rare Cartier 18ct Gold Plate Ribbed Godron Cigarette Lighter With Cartier Box
Located in Reading, Berkshire
Elegant Gold Plated Must de Cartier Ribbed Godron Cigarette Lighter In Original Cartier Box. Marked Cartier Paris To Lighter Base Complete With Original Box, Instructions
Category

Late 20th Century French Art Deco Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Metal, Enamel

GEISEL - Suess - Virgil Ross - ORIGINAL DRAWING OF THE GRINCH AND CINDY LOU WHO!
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: GEISEL, Theodore: (Dr. Seuss) (Virgil Ross). TITLE: The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who. (Original drawing). PUBLISHER: Warner Brothers Studios, (c.1990's). DESCRIPTION: ORIGINA...
Category

1990s British Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Christie's: 2011, Duarte Pinto Coelho Collection, Madrid & Trujillo, Spain
Located in valatie, NY
Christie's: 2011, Duarte Pinto Coelho Collection, Madrid & Trujillo, Spain. 1st Ed auction catalog with 753 lots all photographed in color and fully descr...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary English Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Georg Jensen Christmas Ornament 2005, Regitze Overgaard
Located in Brønshøj, DK
Every year a well-known Danish artist designs the Georg Jensen Christmas Ornament. In its many incarnations over the years it has becom...
Category

Early 2000s Danish Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Brass

Cecil Beaton's Scrapbook (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
This is a very good 1st edition (second issue) of this much sought after society journal which is still in a very good dust jacket though there are one or two short closed tears and ...
Category

20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Large, Good Condition and Stylish Antique English Victorian Oak Wall Barometer
Located in Lisse, NL
Stunning design and top quality executed antique barometer. This late 19th-early 20th century, English manufactured wall barometer has everything that makes an antique worthwhile. F...
Category

Early 20th Century English Victorian Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Brass

The Boudoir Bible The Uninhibited Sex Guide for Today
Located in New York, NY
Written by Betony Vernon, Illustrated by Francois Berthoud A comprehensive and instructional guide to the new sexual landscape, covering "new territories" such as bondage, role playing, and sex toys that would make your parents blush. Since the publication of The Joy of Sex in 1972, the sexual landscape’s boundaries have been expanded to include a host of practices that are unthinkable in that classic tome. Although it also covers the basics, The Boudoir Bible...
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21st Century and Contemporary North American Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

FORNASETTI Chess Board Game Set Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage chess board - game set box for Dal Negro by Piero Fornasetti, made in Italy in the 1970s. The box is made in walnut wood, and it includes chess game, checkers game, card game...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Wood

FORNASETTI Chess Board Game Set Box
FORNASETTI Chess Board Game Set Box
$2,925 Sale Price
25% Off
Mid Century Gold Bracelet 18K 2 tone Italian Mesh Bracelet 1960s Gold Honeycomb
Located in Wommelgem, VAN
18k Yellow and White gold flexible mesh bracelet. expertly crafted with an intricate honeycomb / beehive pattern of yellow and white gold creating two-color unique geometric design....
Category

19th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Gold

Schmetterlinge 'Butterflies' by Carl Gustav Jablonsky & J.F.W. Herbst
Located in Middletown, NY
An exceedingly rare and beautifully-illustrated work by Carl Gustav Jablonsky and JFW Herbst, whose Natursystem is one of the first attempts at a complete survey of exotic and European butterflies, and edited following the system of Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), the father of modern taxonomy, as stated in the subtitle of the work. Jablonsky, Carl Gustav & J.F.W. Herbst. Natursystem aller bekannten in- und ausländischen Insekten: Schmetterlinge; Nach dem System des Ritters Carl von Linné...
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Late 18th Century German Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Christies June 2010 Important 20th Century Decorative Art & Design
Located in valatie, NY
Christies June 2010 Important 20th Century Decorative Art & Design Auction Catalog. 1st Ed softcover with results. 218 lots, 172 pages, lots are Illustrated in color and fully descri...
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21st Century and Contemporary American Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Hannah Wilke Retrospective Book with Drawing and Signature
By Hannah Wilke
Located in New York, NY
Hard bound first edition monograph on pioneering feminist artist/performance artist Hannah Wilke. Titled "Hannah Wilke: A Retrospective," it was published in 1989 in conjunction with...
Category

1980s American Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

The Gentlemen's Clubs of London (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
This book takes a fascinating look into nearly 50 clubs in London and with more than 400 specially commissioned photographs shows a way of life that still plays a part in the daily l...
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19th Century Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

WWII USA Air Corps Force Sterling Silver Brooch Pin Badge by Meyer
Located in Van Nuys, CA
This is a high-quality, original World War II U.S. Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Brooch insignia, manufactured by the renowned American badge maker Meyer of New York. Crafted in two ...
Category

1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Silver

Chinoiserie by Dawn Jacobson (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
A hardback book with original dust jacket. Chinoiserie is one of the strongest, mostt consistent strains in western taste. It has affected every area of decor and design from Chippen...
Category

Early 18th Century Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Mid-Century Mexican Silver & Malachite Jewelry Set: Necklace, Bracelets, Pendant
Located in North Miami, FL
Mid-Century sterling silver and malachite jewelry set: necklace, pair of bracelets and pendant from Taxco, Mexico, presumably by Los Castillo By: Los Castillo (in the style of) Mate...
Category

1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Stone, Malachite, Metal, Silver, Sterling Silver

Antique Tabletop Press, English, Cast Iron, Rotary, Flower Pressing, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique tabletop press. An English, cast iron rotary flower pressing machine, dating to the early Victorian period, circa 1850. Relive t...
Category

Mid-19th Century British Early Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Iron

Natural Matching Pair Whole Complete Giant Clam Sea Shell Tridacna Gugas 10"
Located in Dayton, OH
Beautiful complete natural specimen, Tridacna Gigantas / Giant Clam shell / fossil featuring matching top and bottom halves. White in color. Seven folds. N...
Category

Late 20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Shell

Antique Miniature Sefer Torah Written on Parchment
Located in New York, NY
Antique Miniature Sefer Torah Written on Parchment – With Original Belt and Decorative Mantle An extraordinary and rare example of Judaica, this antique miniature Sefer Torah is ful...
Category

Early 20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Hide, Wood

ELIE SAAB Maison Large Chess Set by Giobagnara in Monogram Leather and Marble
Located in Mariano Comense, CO
Born from the exclusive collaboration between ELIE SAAB Maison and Giobagnara, this luxurious chess set is a masterful expression of design, craftsmanship, and timeless elegance. Bor...
Category

2010s Italian Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Marble, Carrara Marble

French Furniture of the 18th Century
Located in valatie, NY
French Furniture of the 18th century by Pierre Verlet and Penelope Hunter-Stiebel (Translator). University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 1991. First edition thus hardcover ...
Category

1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Chess Game Set - Pietra Dura Marble 19th Century Italy
Located in Stockholm, SE
A stunning chessboard in Pietra Dura marble produced in Italy in the mid 19th century. The chessboard is framed with a wooden frame. The chess pieces are made in metal and are probab...
Category

Mid-19th Century Italian Classical Roman Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Marble

French Brass & Polished Steel Telescope w/ Spotting Scope on Tripod Stand C 1850
By Bardou & Son
Located in Charleston, SC
French brass and polished steel telescope with removable lens cap, spotting scope, and mounted on folding tripod stand, 19th Century. Signed on focal tube by prolific telescope make...
Category

1850s French Louis Philippe Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Brass, Steel

Château de Haroué The Home of the Princes de Beauvau-Craon
Located in New York, NY
Author Victoria Botana de Beauvau-Craon, Photographs by Miguel Flores-Vianna, Foreword by Jean-Louis Deniot A dazzling tour of Château de Haroué, the epitome of opulent French style and one of today’s must-see examples of vibrant eighteenth-century architecture and design. Located in a remote village in the Lorraine region of northeastern France, the estate of Château de Haroué is an unrivaled treasure of Gallic culture and heritage. Built between 1720 and 1729 for Marc de Beauvau, Prince de Beauvau-Craon, constable of Lorraine and viceroy of Tuscany, his descendents have inhabited the castle and kept it going in high style ever since. Throughout the pages of this volume, readers are invited to discover the château’s impressive architecture and fashionably chic interior design. Newly commissioned photographs by leading interiors photographer Miguel Flores-Vianna alongside archival documents offer unprecedented access to 82 sumptuous rooms, which are enlivened by dynamic tapestries and family portraits, a breathtaking artwork collection, and stately antique furniture. Informative texts by Victoria Botana de Beauvau, one of France’s preeminent modern-day aristocrats and an It girl in Parisian society, paint a picture of the castle’s architectural splendors, lifestyle, notable events, and her family’s unique approach to keeping history alive—all published in an exquisitely crafted book, with creative direction by Peter Copping, worthy of this stunning property. About the author Victoria Botana de Beauvau is a creative director and producer. Miguel Flores-Vianna is a renowned Argentine-born, London-based photographer whose images regularly appear in Architectural Digest and Cabana magazine...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Fine 19th C. German Wood Brass Carpenters Plough Plane Signed Steinlin
Located in Rochester, NY
Antique 19th century German screw arm plough plane carpenters tool in beautifully aged original old color patina to wood and brass w/ very fine hand crafted construction. Stamped Ste...
Category

19th Century German Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Brass, Steel

Small Figural Romantic Dagger - late 19th century
Located in TEYJAT, FR
Small figural romantic dagger - late 19th century - with 10.75cm double edged tapering plated bade with cast and silver plated grip in the form of a ...
Category

Late 19th Century Spanish Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Metal

Original Antique Map of The London Underground. 1911
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Superb map of The London Underground Published by Ward Lock, 1911 Folding map. Printed on paper Unframed. Good condition/ Minor repair to an edge tear on right edge ( shown in ...
Category

1910s English Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Canvas, Paper

Walking stick, rock crystal, by Leopold van Strydonk, Brussels, Belgium 1900.
By L. Van Strydonck
Located in Milan, IT
Walking stick: jewel walking stick, rock crystal knob, spherical in shape, caged by intertwined bands made of gilded silver with garnet cabochons. Snakewood shaft. Metal and iron fe...
Category

Early 20th Century Belgian Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Rock Crystal, Metal, Silver, Iron

20th Century American Collection of Twenty Five Edition Harvard Classics Books
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A vintage Mid-Century Modern American collection of twenty five volumes Deluxe Edition Harvard Classics books, covered in red, green leather in good c...
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Leather, Paper

XIX Century English Mahogany Apothecary Set Cabinet Medicines J Hexam Chymist
Located in Milan, IT
English apothecary cabinet dated to the first half of the nineteenth century, mahogany box, brass handle and hinges and complete with key. The cabinet with a rectangular base is form...
Category

19th Century British Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Mahogany

Colmont Ft Paris Mother of Pearl French Opera Glasses With Leather Case, 1890s
Located in South Bend, IN
A stunning set of opera or theatre glasses in original leather case. By Colmont FT Paris France, Circa 1890s Gorgeous Mother-of-pearl and abalone inset on brass cylindrical body w...
Category

1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Brass

Stunning, Large and Hand Carved Renaissance Revival Court Jester Sculpture
Located in Lisse, NL
Marvelous antique French jester sculpture. This large and amazing sculpture of a sitting court jester in the Renaissance Style truly is a rare find. ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Renaissance Revival Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Oak

Spanish Colonial Polychrome Nino
Located in Los Angeles, CA
El Niño Jesús (Baby Jesus) Guatemala, Spanish Colonial Period (17th–18th century) Wood, gesso, polychrome, and glass eyes This expressive sculpture of the Christ Child was crafted i...
Category

19th Century Guatemalan Spanish Colonial Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Gesso, Glass, Wood

Traveler's pocket compass, Victorian-era turned brass
Located in Milan, IT
Traveler's pocket compass, Victorian-era turned brass, late 19th century England, rose on sixteen-twenty copperplate engraving paper complete with goniometric circle. Conservation s...
Category

1890s Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Brass

PLANCHE - The Vampire; or Bride of the isles - 1820 - FIRST AND ONLY EDITION
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: PLANCHE, James Robinson: Pierre-Frederic-Adolphe Carmouche. TITLE: The Vampire; or, Bride of the isles, A Tale, founded on the popular superstition of Caledonia.... From wh...
Category

1820s British Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Leather

Up, Down & Other Opposites with Ellsworth Kelly
Located in New York, NY
Ellsworth Kelly’s paintings and sculptures are the heroes of this visual exploration of opposites Up, Down & Other Opposites pairs different combinations of Ellsworth Kelly’s painti...
Category

2010s Chinese Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Tibet Vintage Pair Amulet Pendants Nine And Four Eye Dzi Beads
Located in South Burlington, VT
A unique pair (2), valuable and powerful Protection Amulet Dzi from Tibet An old Tibetan or Central Asian nine and four eye agates Dzi Beads dating to the ...
Category

20th Century Chinese Qing Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Agate

Genuine Hand-Carved Onyx Chess Set With Deluxe Velvet Case
Located in New York, NY
This handcrafted complete chess set weighs a total of 13 pounds and features a hefty board made entirely of two contrasting types of genuine high quality onyx: black onyx and a tan t...
Category

2010s Pakistani Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Onyx

1970s Green and White Chess Set in Volterra Alabaster Handmade, Made in Italy
Located in Milano, IT
1970s Gorgeous green and white chess set in Volterra alabaster handmade. Made in Italy. The set is in excellent condition, with all the pieces intact and flawless. This chess set is ...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Alabaster

Table Lamp with an Antique Porcupinefish Natural Taxidermy Specimen
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Beautiful mood light featuring a rare and unusual antique marine natural taxidermy specimen of a porcupine fish. It belongs to the family Diodontidae, order Tetraodontiformes, and is...
Category

20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Wood

Partially Silvered Sea Shell Lister's Conch
Located in New York, NY
Lister's conch partially silvered shell 5". Creel and Gow has been working with the same atelier in Rome, Italy for over 20 years to make our signature silvered shells. Our workshop ...
Category

2010s Italian Victorian Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Sterling Silver

FORNASETTI Butterfly Poker Card Game Set Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage butterfly poker card game set box, screen print on wood, with two decks of playing cards, eight dices and chips / Designed by PIero Fornasetti, made in Milan Italy by Fornase...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Wood

16th Century Map of Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, ca. 1574
Located in Langweer, NL
Ptolemaic map of the Arabian Peninsula based on the 1548 map of Giacomo Gastaldi. It covers nearly all of the peninsula, but does not include the head of the Red Sea. The coastlines ...
Category

16th Century Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Genesis Illustrated, by Sebastiao Salgado
Located in valatie, NY
Genesis by Sebastiao Salgado (Photographer) and Edited by Lelia Wanick Salgado. 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket and separate page guide to the photos. “In GENESIS, my camera allowe...
Category

2010s German Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Southwestern Sterling Silver Turquoise Size 10 Zuni Snake Ring by Effie Calavaza
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Effie Calavaza's original men's size 10 snake ring features a striking combination of turquoise and silver. Crafted with intricate detailing, the snake wraps around the turquoise. Th...
Category

1960s American Native American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Silver

Norwegian Folk Costumes 'Norske Folkedragter' 1st Edition
Located in valatie, NY
Norwegian Folk Costumes (Norske Folkedragter) by Einar Lexow and Joh. F.L. Dreiers. Norsk Folkemuseum, 1913. 1st Ed hardcover. Norwegian traditional dress ...
Category

1910s Norwegian Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Vintage Hardstone Chess Set
Located in Savannah, GA
A vintage hardstone and marble chess set, mid-20th century. 12 inches wide by 12 inches deep by 3 inches tall
Category

Mid-20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Marble

18th Century Italian Gilded Tabernacle with a Hand-Carved Chalice Fragment
Located in Dublin, Dalkey
18th century Italian gilded and hand-carved tabernacle adorned with an 18th century Italian gilt chalice and Sabina Faye Braxton gaufrage fabric. This tabernacle once belonged in a h...
Category

18th Century Italian Rococo Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Gold Leaf

Antique Large Hand Carved Oak Gothic Art Panel, Depicting Christ and 12 Apostles
Located in Lisse, NL
Stunning and unique 'sermon on the mount' wall plaque with Jesus and the apostles carved in high relief. This large size work of religious art dep...
Category

Early 19th Century Dutch Gothic Revival Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Oak

Old Original Print Depicting the Ruins of the City of Palmyra, Syria, 1782
Located in Langweer, NL
The print is a detailed 18th-century engraving depicting the ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. It is titled "Ruins of Palmyra" and was published by Harrison & Co in the ...
Category

1780s English Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Nature, Form & Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima
Located in New York, NY
First edition of Mira Nakashima’s tribute to her father, George, whose standing as one of America’s foremost designer/craftsmen is reflected in his blue-chip status in the vintage de...
Category

Early 2000s American American Craftsman Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Robert Kime by Alistair Langlands (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
A stunning collection of twelve definitive Robert Kime projects, ranging from Bloomsbury to the Bahamas, from the Irish countryside to la France profonde. Magnificent, specially-comm...
Category

20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

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

Medal-Worthy Memorabilia from Epic Past Olympic Games

Get into the games! These items celebrate the events, athletes, host countries and sporting spirit.

Ahoy! You’ve Never Seen a Collection of Sailor Art and Kitsch Quite Like This

French trendsetter and serial collector Daniel Rozensztroch tells us about his obsession with objects related to seafaring men.

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.

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