Collectibles and Curiosities
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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
$134 Sale Price
20% Off
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
By Cartier
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
By Georg Jensen
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...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary North American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
FORNASETTI Chess Board Game Set Box
By Fornasetti
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
$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...
Category
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...
Category
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...
Category
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
$137 Sale Price
44% Off
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
$940 Sale Price
20% Off
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
By Elie Saab, Giobagnara
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
$622 Sale Price
20% Off
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
$300 / item
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
$1,350 Sale Price
25% Off
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
$440 Sale Price
20% Off
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
$797 Sale Price
44% Off
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
By Interi
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.