Collectibles and Curiosities
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Collectibles and Curiosities For Sale
The Brooke Astor Auction at Sotheby's, NY September 2012, 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
The Brooke Astor Auction at Sotheby's, NY September 2012. 1st Ed softcover auction catalog. Brooke Astor was the ultimate New York philanthropist marrying...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Antique County Map, Shropshire, English, Atlas Engraving, Richard Blome, C.1673
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique county map of Shropshire. An English, framed atlas engraving by Richard Blome, dating to the 17th century and later.
A treat for the collector or county native, ...
Category
17th Century British Restauration Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass, Wood, Paper
Set of 8 Mini Pigs Earthenware Pottery Tea Pets Paperweights
Located in Somis, CA
Set of 8 adorable earthenware piggies. Hand crafted depicting happy countenance. Various colors. These cute pieces can be used as paperweights and tea pets.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Earthenware, Pottery
large Santa Claus Belsnickle Christmas Chocolate Mold Antique 1890s, German
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A gorgeous chocolate mold. Made of metal, not marked. Beautiful and ready to use or display, with nice patina. The 1890s to 1920s were the golden age of Chocolate production and cons...
Category
Late 19th Century German Folk Art Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Antique French Silver Walking Cane Stick 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a beautiful antique sterling silver pommel walking stick circa 1880 in date
The striking stick features an ornate silver chequered pommel on a gentle tapering ebonized shaft...
Category
1880s English Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Sterling Silver
Antique Walking Stick with Seat
Located in Vo', Veneto
Walking Stick with Seat
Measurements: H. 89 cm / seat dimensions: 15 x 44 cm - H. 74 cm
Era: early 1900s
Origin: Germany
Wood: Metal and leather
Description
Special walking stick,...
Category
Early 1900s German Rustic Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Chestnut
Late 19th Century Holy Water Font - Crucifix Bronze Jesus - Cloisonné Enamel
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A refined holy water font features a finely detailed crucifix, portraying Christ in a traditional posture of sacrifice and serenity. At its center stands a finely cast bronze figure ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Marble, Brass, Bronze, Enamel
The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens, Early Edition, Victorian, Novel, C.1837
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a charming early Victorian edition of Charles Dickens' celebrated novel The Pickwick Papers, presented in original bound order with attractive aged markings. A delightful exa...
Category
1830s British Early Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Gallé Drawings, French Book by Philippe Thiebaut, 1993
By Gallé
Located in Atlanta, GA
Les Dessins de Gallé, (Gallé Drawings), French Book by Philippe Thiebaut, 1993.
A selection of the most beautiful sketches, studies, and models intended for Gallé's performers bequea...
Category
1990s French Art Nouveau Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Museum Collection Luxury Christmas Tree Ornaments Set of 10 Vintage Irish Linen
Located in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Museum Collection Set of 10 Artisan Irish Linen Ornaments by Katie Larmour
This is a luxury box set of artisan made decorative ornaments created with authentic Irish Linen, exclusive to 1stdibs. They are special because they are limited editions from a beautiful mixture of vintage and deadstock fabric in small batches (some even one-of-a-kind) embellished with exquisite copper embroidery and dainty beading.
These novelty ornaments are a unique and quirky gift, or a treat to oneself. They are particularly suitable for the holiday season and the ultimate Christmas tree decorations. They are collectible and can be kept as heirlooms.
Katie Larmour is an acclaimed Northern Irish designer with a studio based in her hometown of Belfast. Known for heritage textiles, her signature use of Irish Linen and original designs have seen her brand make waves in Europe and beyond.
The fabric is 100% pure Irish Linen from a mixture of sustainable sources - vintage, local mill deadstock rolls from one of the last remaining linen mills still active in Ireland today, repurposed antique tablecloths...
Category
2010s Unknown Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Linen
Early 19th Century Rustic French Catholic Reliquary Box
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a very early French reliquary box used to hold personal articles such as a crucifix. The front door opens to reveal one wall in silk. The piece i...
Category
Early 19th Century French Baroque Revival Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
19th Century French Bronze Champleve Wall Cross with Holy Water Font
Located in Dallas, TX
This colorful cross with holy water font was created in France, circa 1880. Crafted in bronze using the champlevé technique, the antique cross features intricate enamel work in a vibrant palette of turquoise, navy, red, and pink. The decorative surface is adorned with floral and foliate motifs, and centered with a red medallion bearing the Christogram "IHS," symbolizing the name of Jesus. The base is fitted with a small enameled basin...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bronze
Mid-Century Nativity In Murano Glass Attributed To Gino Cenedese, 1960s
Located in Palermo, IT
Mid-Century Nativity in Murano glass attributed to Gino Cenedese, 1960s
Purchased by my grandparents in one of the most prestigious shops in Piazza San Marco, in Venice, during their...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Murano Glass
Napoleon III sword
Located in 'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, NL
A Napoleon III sword in gilt brass. Handle is decorated with 2 mother of pearl plates. Urn shaped pommel. Knuckle guard transitioning into cross guard.
Guard plate with eagle. Black ...
Category
1880s French Napoleon III Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass, Steel
BACON, Francis, The Works of Francis Bacon, '10 VOLUMES - 1803'
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
Author: BACON, Francis.
Title: The Works of Francis Bacon.
Publisher: London: for many, 1803.
Description: 10 vols., 8-1/2" x 5-5/8", frontis portrait plate in volume one, ...
Category
Early 1800s British Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
Rooms with a History Interiors and Their Inspirations
Located in New York, NY
Inspirational and visually on trend, Ashley Hicks's latest work is a pattern book for the 21st century. Offering insights and revelations, Hicks's own exquisitely quirky and colorful historicist interiors are discussed with designs from the recent and faraway past.
Ashley Hicks has created a mix of manifesto, souvenir album, and confession in this collection of noteworthy rooms--featuring his own one-of-a-kind interiors along with rooms that have inspired him. The manifesto aspect is rather limited, since Hicks is not a great believer in aesthetic rules or the value of so-called good taste, but as a souvenir album, it charts Hicks's personal creative journey of the last few years, illustrated with photographs of some favorite historical interiors and objects that represent a mixture of source material and inspiration.
The book's twelve chapters reveal Hicks's creative process, how he approaches different themes in his own interiors, furniture designs, and works of art, and how these themes can be applied to the works of others. Such subjects as flowers, color, layers, form, pattern, and memory are presented in the context of actual projects. Historical and recent interiors are discussed for their decorative value--notable rooms and architecture include the Pantheon in Rome; Emperor Maximilian's tomb in Innsbruck; the Royal Pavilion, Brighton; and the Petit Trianon at Versailles. Hicks has created a book for devotees of decorating and the history of interior design.
About the author
Ashley Hicks is a British author, architect, interior and furniture designer, and photographer. He is the son of Lady Pamela Hicks and the legendary decorator David Hicks. His personal Instagram profile has amassed over 200,000 followers.
Christian Louboutin is a celebrated French shoe designer.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Antique 1915 Mahogany Chicago Cable Company Carolina Inner Player Upright Piano
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Victorian player piano by The Cable Company of Chicago which features a Carolina Inner-player. Circa 1915.
Includes: I Love Paris and Oh Lady Be Good by Max Kortlander, He...
Category
1910s American Edwardian Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Mahogany
Sotheby's Antiquities et Objets d'Art, Marquis de Ganay, Monaco 1987, Hard Cover
Located in Stamford, CT
Sotheby's hard cover catalog important antiquities and objects of art, Monaco, December 5, 1987.
Antiquities et Objets d'Art, Collection de Martine, Comtesse de Behague
provenant de ...
Category
Late 20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Antique maritime navy compass
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Antique maritime navy compass in very nice original condition.
Category
19th Century European Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
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
The Gernsheim Collection, Edited by Roy Flukinger, 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
The Gernsheim Collection, Edited by Roy Flukinger. University of Texas Press, Sep 1, 2010. One of the most important collections of photography in the world. Amassed by the renowned husband-and-wife team of Helmut and Alison Gernsheim between 1945 and 1963, it contains an unparalleled range of images, beginning with the world's earliest-known photograph from nature, made by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826. It includes some 35,000 major and representative photographs from the 19th and 20th c; a research library of some 3,600 books, journals, and published articles; about 250 autographed letters and manuscripts; and more than 200 pieces of early photographic equipment. Its encyclopedic scope—as well as the expertise and taste with which the Gernsheims built the collection—makes the Gernsheim Collection one of the world's premier resources for the study and appreciation of the development of photography.
Published to coincide with a landmark exhibition staged by the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, which owns the collection, this book presents masterpieces of the collection, along with lesser-known images of great historical significance. Arranged in chronological order, this selection effectively constitutes a visual history of photography from its beginnings to the mid-20th c. Each full-page image is accompanied by an extensive annotation in which Roy Flukinger describes the photograph's place in the evolution of photography and also within the Gernsheim Collection. Flukinger also provides an enlightening introduction in which he traces the Gernsheims' passionate careers as collectors and pioneering historians of photography, showing how their untiring efforts significantly contributed to the acceptance of photography as a fine art and as a field worthy of intellectual inquiry. Appreciations of the Gernsheim Collection by Alison Nordström and Mark Haworth...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
1970s Astonishing Swift 1778 Model Ship. Handmade. Made in England
Located in Milano, IT
1970s Astonishing Swift 1778 model ship in walnut wood. Handmade. Made in England. This model is amazing and in excellent condition and all handmade. A true piece of history.
Dimensi...
Category
1970s English Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
Brushed Aluminum Stacked Level Pool Table, 1980s USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Custom made regulation size, three tiered pool table from the 1980s. Made in the USA.
Hidden ball return system allows each pocketed ball to roll internally back to the front of the...
Category
1980s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Slate, Aluminum, Brass
Antique 19th Century Russian Double Sided Silver and Niello Reliquary Cross
Located in New York, NY
Antique Russian late 19th century silver and niello double sided reliquary cross on period long chain
This beautiful antique Russian reliquary cross depicts Christ in a distinctive n...
Category
19th Century Russian Baroque Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver, Enamel
Ship Model "Sovereign of the Seas " a 17th-century warship of the English Navy
Located in Miami, FL
The Sovereign of the Seas, an early British "First-Rate Ship of the Line" was launched in 1637 and was the most magnificent ship of her era. Designed in 1630s by Phineas Pett, she was the first ship to have three full gun decks, carrying a total of 102 guns, on the orders of King Charles I. No expense was spared in her construction. Renamed the Royal Sovereign when Charles II came to the throne in 1660, she fought in several battles during the second and third Dutch wars between 1666-1673. The nine years war against France broke out in 1689 and the Sovereign of the Seas (Royal Sovereign) was present at the Battles of Beachy Head...
Category
20th Century English Renaissance Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
The Adventures of Pinocchio, FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, illustrated by A. Mussino
Located in Middletown, NY
The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi [pseud. of Carlo Lorenzini]; translated by Carol della Chiesa and illustrated by Attilio Mussino
New York: Macmillan Company, 1929.
F...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Travelling Marble Solitaire Board Game with 35 mixed stone Marbles, Circa 1930
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a very good and complete board game of Marble Solitaire, with a hand turned hardwood board and 35 agate stone and clay marbles, which we date to t...
Category
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Stone, Agate
Museum Quality Hand Crafted Bronze Corpus of Jesus Christ fr Wall Mounting 19thC
Located in Lisse, NL
Stunning, one of a kind bronze corpus of Christ.
The meaning of this antique sculpture obviously needs no explanation. However, not everybody looks at the corpus of Christ with the same ideas and emotions. And each individual may also have different emotions and ideas depending on his or her state of mind at a certain moment in the day or at a certain time in his or her life. Besides that, every artist/sculptor may also have his or her own ideas of what he or she is trying to express and communicate. What is important to us, is that a work of religious art speaks to us. If it speaks to us then almost always there will also be someone else who sees the beauty, deeper meaning, quality, style and uniqueness. This particular corpus stands out for its exceptional physical details and its painful facial features. We also rarely seen an antique Christ sculpture...
Category
19th Century European Renaissance Revival Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bronze
Rider's British Merlin 1726; Adorned with many delightful Varieties and Useful.
Located in Middletown, NY
A precursor of Benjamin Franklin's famous and popular POOR RICHARD's ALMANAC
Rider, Cardanus
Rider's (1726) British Merlin; Adorned with many delightful Varieties and Useful Veritie...
Category
Early 18th Century English Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Gold Leaf
Contemporary Pharmaceutical (Paxipam) Phrenology Bust / Head Paperweight
Located in San Diego, CA
A really cool contemporary pharmaceutical (Paxipam) phrenology bust / head paperweight, circa 2000s. The model is in very good vintage condition and measures 2.5"W x2.5"D x 4.5"H.. ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
16th Century Italian Renaissance Carving of a Male Saint
Located in Stamford, CT
16th century Italian carved and polychromed figure of a male saint or prophet with a wonderful presence. Shown holding an open book in his right hand with flames at his feet, mid-16t...
Category
16th Century Italian Renaissance Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
C1930 Vintage & Unusual Form Upright Bass Benedikt Lang Germany
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Spectacular upright bass 4 string by Benedikt Lang c1930. Was told its an unusual form, and from my experience i believe that to be very true. Seems as tho its in fairly good conditi...
Category
1930s German Bohemian Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Fruitwood, Maple
1960s, Stunning Alabaster Smoking Set by Romano Bianchi
Located in Milano, IT
1960s Gorgeous alabaster smoking set by Romano Bianchi with ashtray, box and table lighter, everything is handmade carved. Made in Italy. This smoking set is in excellent condition.
...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Alabaster
Medieval Period Antique European Polearm Axe
Located in Forney, TX
A rare authentic antique Late Medieval period (circa 1300-1500) European polearm two-handed battle axe (dane axe / sparth axe) probably English, Scottish or Italian. Impressive large...
Category
15th Century and Earlier European Medieval Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Steel, Iron
Ornate Desk Model Signal Cannon in Bronze and Iron
Located in San Mateo, CA
This large desk top cannon model will actually fire. The barrel is bronze and the carriage is iron. The carriage has been repainted in the past.
Category
Early 20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bronze, Iron
Antique Technical Drawing Set, German, Architect, Cartography, Wichmann
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique technical drawing set. A German, architect's or cartographer's instrument case by Wichmann, dating to the early 20th c...
Category
Early 20th Century German Edwardian Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Nickel
Miki Dora Da Cat Signed Surfboard shaped by Greg Noll (1998)
Located in Haleiwa, HI
Greg Noll Mickey Dora “Da Cat” model limited edition longboard shaped in 1998. Serial #120/250. Featuring a gorgeous Hawaiian coffee color floral patterned nose reveal, with matching...
Category
1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Fiberglass, Foam, Softwood
Archer's Ring – 17th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Archer's Ring – 17th Century"
Origin: Possibly Ottoman
Period: 17th Century
Material: Bronze
Dimensions: Approx. 3 x 2 cm
Interesting bronze archer's ring, originally from the 17th ...
Category
17th Century European Other Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bronze
Set Of Twelve Tooled Leather Bound Books Various Titles
Located in New Orleans, LA
A handsome set of twelve tooled and leather bound books.
Expert book binders have individually re-bound these carefully selected used books in fine leathers embossed and gold leafed ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Edwardian Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Gold Leaf
Francis Jourdain Mobilier (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
This book is the third volume in the portfolio collection, inaugurated with the first two volumes devoted to the work of Pierre Chareau. Volume III is dedicated this time to the work...
Category
20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Vintage Silver Pendant Necklace with Baltic Reverse Honey Amber Cameo
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A set consisting of a long pleaded sterling silver necklace with a length of 60 cm and a hand-crafted cameo pendant finished in Baltic honey amber in reverse. Signed and hallmarked i...
Category
Mid-20th Century European Victorian Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver
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
Mannequin of a Young Girl in Black Dress, Shop Display, 1950s
Located in Antwerp, BE
Original shop window display child mannequin for primary school clothing, she wears a black dress as an example for children's uniforms from the 1950s.
Category
1950s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Plaster, Wood, Paint
French 19th Century Medieval Château Pewter and Wood Birdcage with Turrets
Located in Atlanta, GA
A large 19th century pewter and wood decorative birdcage shaped as a French medieval château. This exquisite French château birdcage is a definite must in terms of decorative accents...
Category
19th Century French Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Pewter
Two Large Malachite Eggs on Brass Stands
Located in Somis, CA
Set of two splendid malachite eggs. Hand crafted and polished, displaying fantastic various natural patterns of swirls and stripes. A stone of transforma...
Category
20th Century Italian Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Malachite
English Pond Boat on Stand with Original Sails Brass Rudder Zinc Keel C. 1940
Located in Troy, MI
Found in England, this hand made wooden pond boat with original cloth sails dates from the 1940s. This is a single mast sailboat - we believe it is a sloop - and features a bow sprit...
Category
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass, Zinc
Antique Map of Virginia, with Inset Map of the South Western Continuation
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique map titled 'Virginia'. Original antique map of Virginia, United States. With inset map of the south western continuation of Virginia. T...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Red Backgammon
Located in Paris, FR
Backgammon Red with structure in solid wood and covered with
genuine grained leather crocodile printed finish and with details
in polished stainless steel. Backgammon including 1 d...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
Antique Italian Carved Walnut Oratoire Prie Dieu Prayer Kneeler
Located in Carimate, Como
A good antique Italian Oratoire or Prie Dieu walnut cabinet crafted in beautiful wood, it stands on short legs over a knee resting platform base. The religious kneeler features two s...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
Vintage German D.F. 10x80 Luftwaffe Binoculars On Stand 20th Century
Located in London, GB
Vintage German pair of World War Two D.F. 10x80 Luftwaffe binoculars on stand with manufactured code of DKL made by Joseph Schneider & Co, Kreuznach, Germany, circa 1939 in date.
D....
Category
20th Century German Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Aluminum, Steel
James de Wulf Concrete Dumbbell Set
Located in Paia, HI
When concrete and bronze come together, it is a marriage of powerful aesthetic elements. Each weight is constructed of reinforced concrete, polished and sealed to a smooth, unique lu...
Category
2010s American Minimalist Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Concrete, Bronze
Arts & Crafts Tabernacle with Solid Silver Mary & Archangel Gabriel Panels, 1910
Located in Lisse, NL
Religious artefact with stunning embossed and inlaid silver plaques.
Antique tabernacles are a rare find, so when we got the chance to purchase thi...
Category
Early 20th Century European Arts and Crafts Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver
Vintage Gloster Meteor F4 Airplane Model with Postcard
Located in San Diego, CA
A very cool vintage Gloster Meteor F4 Airplane Model with desk model with black and white postcard, circa 1960s. The model is in very good condition and measures 9.5" wingspan x 8.5...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Antique Bronze Gothic Sanctuary Lamp / Church Pendant with Gargoyle Sculptures
Located in Lisse, NL
Stunning 19th century Gothic art pendant with three gargoyle sculptures.
This late 1800s church relic truly has an aura of religiousness about it...
Category
Late 19th Century French Gothic Revival Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bronze
John & Thomas Seymour Cabinet Makers in Boston 1794-1816 with Supplement
By Vernon C. Stoneman
Located in valatie, NY
John & Thomas Seymour Cabinet Makers in Boston 1794-1816 with Supplement. 1.) John and Thomas Seymour Cabinet Makers in Boston 1794-1816 by Ver...
Category
20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
A Dutch Architectural Bird Cage, 19th Century
Located in ARMADALE, VIC
A Dutch Architectural Bird Cage, 19th Century
Provenance: Private Australian Collection.
Description:
The bird cage designed after the Sociëteit Veenlust or ‘Veenlust Society’ buil...
Category
19th Century Dutch Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
Antique Continetal Silver Ebonized Walking Cane Stick Late 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a beautiful antique continetal silver handled walking stick, circa 1870 in date
The striking stick features a silver Crutch handle which is engraved 'C J Stuilt' on a gentle...
Category
1870s English Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver
CARTIER 1935 Paris Art-Deco Desk Club Petrol Lighter In .925 Sterling Silver
By Cartier
Located in Miami, FL
An art deco tall desk-lighter designed by Cartier.
This is a beautiful and very rare desk-club petrol lighter, created in Paris France by the atelier-Frontin for the jewelry house o...
Category
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Sterling Silver
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.