Collectibles and Curiosities
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Collectibles and Curiosities For Sale
Period: 19th Century
Period: 1970s
Period: 18th Century and Earlier
Antique Swiss 10 Air Musical Box Langdorff & Fils 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a lovely antique Swiss 10 airs Gonçalo Alves cylinder music box, manufactured by Langdorff & Fils, circa 1880.
The case is inlaid and crossbanded with floral marquetry and banded decoration. The lid opens to reveal an ebonised interior with a glazed hinged cover showing the comb, and a paper label to the underside of the lid stating 'Fabrique De Geneve' Langdorff & Fils, Fabricants
The music box has got its original tune sheet which is stamped:
"No 24017 Fabrique de Geneve" and lists the ten tunes and composers.
Condition:
It is is in excellent condition and in working order.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 18 cm x Width 69 cm x Depth 27 cm
Dimensions in inches:
Height 7 inches x Width 2 foot, 3 inches x Depth 11 inches
Music box
(also musical box) is a 19th/20th century automatic musical instrument that produces sounds by the use of a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc so as to pluck the tuned teeth (or lamellae) of a steel comb. They were developed from musical snuff boxes of the 18th century and called carillons à musique...
Category
1880s Swiss Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Other
15th C Gothic Tabernacle 4 ft.+ Rare Architectural Religious Art, Museum Quality
Located in Vero Beach, FL
15th century period Gothic Tabernacle, extremely rare (Medieval) architectural religious art, museum quality ecclesiastical altar piece.
This is an ...
Category
15th Century and Earlier German Medieval Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood, Paint
18th Century Italian Antique Oil Painting on Canvas, Madonna in prayer
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
We are pleased to present this captivating religious painting of the Italian school, painted in oil on canvas in the 18th century. This wonderful painting depicting the Madonna in pr...
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Canvas
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
Eudald Serra
Located in Richmond, VA
Vintage hardcover monograph on Catalan sculptor Eudald Serra, published in 1979. 140 pages. Text in Catalan and English, printed in Spain.
Written by Joan Teixidor, this richly illu...
Category
1970s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Italian Baroque Tabernacle Framed Painting
Located in Bradenton, FL
18th Century Italian Baroque Style Hand-Carved Tabernacle Frame. Frame featuring Madonna and Infant Christ, oil on panel, housed within polychrome frame with carved columns. These ta...
Category
18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
1868-1901 The Works of Francis Bacon, Baron Veralum
Located in Bath, GB
A fine fourteen volume collection of the works of Sir Francis Bacon, uniformly bound in half morocco, and from the library of industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
A bea...
Category
19th Century British Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Hunting Flask And Canteen
Located in Oxfordshire, GB
Victorian "piggy back" Huntsman's Canteen.
A rare large hunting canteen, a combined sandwich case and flask in leather case. The "piggy back" hunt canteen differs from the normal sty...
Category
Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
Early Antique Engraved Silver Crucifix, Reliquary Cross Box Pendant 17th Century
Located in Bristol, GB
ANTIQUE SILVER CRUCIFIX/LATIN CROSS
A striking and decorative piece made from continental silver with a central crucifix engraved with a fairly naive depiction of Christ.
The centr...
Category
17th Century Spanish Renaissance Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver
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
1970s Grundig Cube Box Design Speaker Set Futuristic Mid Century Modern
By Grundig
Located in Chula Vista, CA
AMBIANIC presents
Original Grundig Cube Speaker Audiorama Design.
Amazon design, cube shape mounted in tripod base. Original vintage unrestored.
Speaker box 12 h x 8.5 d x 7.25 w
Pr...
Category
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Large Antique Carriage Clock Dome, English, Glass, Display, Showcase, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
Our Stock # 24378
This is a large antique carriage clock dome. An English, glass and oak display showcase, dating to the Victorian period, cir...
Category
Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass, Oak
Fine Antique Russian Vermeil Silver, Enamel Christ Pantocrator Icon, Moscow 1848
Located in New York, NY
Superb Moscow School antique Russian vermeil silver and enamel icon of Christ Pantocrator, All Powerful, Sustainer of the World
Moscow, 1848
The icon of Christ Pantocrator is one of ...
Category
19th Century Russian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver, Enamel
Awesome Antique Bronze Gothic Revival 9 Light Chandelier with Phoenix Sculpture
Located in Lisse, NL
Handcrafted and truly impressive Neo-Gothic Church fixture that can also be used for candles.
Over the decades we have sold a number of very good antique bronze, Gothic light fixtures for both candles and electrical bulbs. However, we never offered one as high and with as many Gothic details as this hand-crafted chandelier. You will rarely come across a Gothic work of religious art that is more elaborate and with as many Gothic details as this fit-for-a-castle pendant...
Category
Late 19th Century French Gothic Revival Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Gold, Bronze
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
Large and Striking Antique Bronze & Brass Gothic Revival Torches Chandelier
Located in Lisse, NL
Beautiful and meaningful, Gothic church relic from the late 1800s.
This stunning and all handcrafted five-light chandelier from the 1870s is designed in the shape of an advent wreat...
Category
19th Century French Gothic Revival Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Iron, Brass, Bronze
Aesop's Fables - 1793 Stockdale ILLUSTRATED EDITION, Bedford binding
Located in Middletown, NY
Aesop (S. Croxall transl.)
The Fables of Aesop; With a Life of the Author; and Embellished with one Hundred & twelve Plates
London: John Stockdale, 1793.
FIRST EDITION - 2 vol., La...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Paper
Antique Victorian Mahogany Inlaid Book Slide Bookcase Holder Nineteenth Century
Located in Dublin, Ireland
An Extremely well-constructed English Victorian Bookslide of good size proportions, mid Nineteenth Century, of outstanding quality and condition. The adjustable base raised on a plai...
Category
19th Century Irish Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Mahogany
Lot of Three Indian Terracotta Processional Figures
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
Lot of three Indian terracotta processional figures.
Krishnanagar, Bengal, 19th Century.
Painted terracotta figures, depicting two males and one female musician...
Category
19th Century Indian Tribal Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Terracotta
Antique Rare Bronze Gavel in the Form of a Fist Dated 1603, England
Located in Doha, QA
EVERY LAWYER AND JUDGE MUST HAVE! This extraordinary bronze gavel, dated 1603 and weights 1,3 kg. It is a rare and evocative example of early ceremonial instruments. Cast in the form of a clenched fist- symbolising authority, resolve, and order- it is mounted on a worn, aged wooden handle that enhances its historic character. The craftsmanship and materials suggest it originated in medieval or early Stuart England, a period when guilds, courts, and civic bodies often used symbolic tools to assert power and structure in meetings and proceedings.
While the term “gavel” became widely recognised in the 18th and 19th centuries, mallet-like instruments were used much earlier, particularly in English trade guilds and legal contexts, where they served as emblems of control and decision-making. The clenched fist design is highly unusual, possibly denoting a unique ceremonial role or elevated authority within a guild or council.
This piece is not only a striking object of early design but also a rare surviving example from the transitional period between the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras...
Category
Early 17th Century English Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bronze
Large Antique Display Dome, English, Glass, Taxidermy Showcase, Victorian, 1850
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a large antique display dome. An English, bell glass and ebonised mahogany taxidermy showcase, dating to the early Victorian period, circa 1850.
Superb example, with a gene...
Category
Mid-19th Century British Early Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass
Outstanding Antique George III Quality Oak Inlaid Hanging Corner Cabinet Out
Located in Suffolk, GB
Outstanding antique George III quality oak inlaid hanging corner cabinet having an attractive stepped and dental moulded cornice above a quality oak crossbanded moulded door with an ...
Category
18th Century European George III Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Other
Oval Antique Diorama Dome, English, Collector, Taxidermy Display Case, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an oval antique diorama dome. An English, glass collector or taxidermy display case, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900.
Of usefully tall proportion, ideal for...
Category
Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass, Wood
7 Vol. Set- Charles Merivale, A History Of The Romans Under The Empire, 1858
Located in Bridgeport, CT
London, Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, various publishing dates. Bound in tan leather with red and brown with gilt spines. Marbelized end papers. All with bookplates ins...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Paper
"Rally Freemen!..." Civil War Recruitment Broadside
Located in York County, PA
"RALLY FREEMEN! …COME ONE! COME ALL! AND SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR THE BEST COUNTRY ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH." A CIVIL WAR RECRUITMENT BROADSIDE FOR THE...
Category
1860s American Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Rarest Arts & Crafts Crafted Picture Frame with Litho, Christ Carrying His Cross
Located in Lisse, NL
Exceptionally hand-crafted picture frame with station of the cross lithograph by Eugene Jouy 'Editeur'.
This handcrafted antique frame is in a style that we have never seen before a...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Gothic Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass, Wood, Paper, Oak, Ash
Large Reliquary with Relics of Saints – 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Magnificent 18th-century silver-plated reliquary, oval in shape and featuring meticulous ornamentation. Inside, it houses numerous relics of saints, carefully arranged and protected ...
Category
18th Century European Baroque Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver Plate
Very Early Illustrated Book on Birds, Giovanni P. Olina: "Uccelliera", 1622
Located in Middletown, NY
Giovanni Pietro Olina. UCCELLIERA; Overo discorso della natura e proprietà di diversi uccelli e in particolare di que' che cantano, con il modo di prendergli, conoscergli, allevargli, e mantenergli.
Rome: Andrea Fe, 1622. FIRST EDITION.
Large Octavo, 9 3/16 x 6 7/8 inches (232 x 175 mm);pp. XI + 161 + [12], including 66 full-page engraving of which 43 represent individual birds and 23 illustrate the materials about trapping and caring for birds; woodcut initials & tail-pieces, light offsetting as typical, a little browned, a few stains, A7 lacking small portion from inner margin, E4 with small paper flaw holes at head just touching head-line; 18th century diced russia, rebacked, flat spines divided into panels by single gilt rules, gilt title and publication year, rubbed, corners worn, gilt-rolled turn-ins, marbled endpapers.
Front pastedown with the engraved armorial bookplate of Thomas Philip Earl de Grey...
Category
Early 17th Century Italian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Paper
French, 18th Century, Baroque Gilded Metal Procession Cross
Located in Buisson, FR
Beautiful baroque gilded metal procession cross with a great patina.
France circa 1750. weathered and small losses.
Measurements include the wooden pedestal.
Category
18th Century French Baroque Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Iron
A Parallel of Antient Architecture with Modern by John EVELYN
Located in Middletown, NY
Evelyn, John translator; Fréart, Roland de Chambray
A Parallel of Antient Architecture with Modern,; In a Collection of Ten Principal Authors who have Written upon the Five Orders, P...
Category
Mid-17th Century English Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Gold Leaf
18th-Century Orthodox Icon of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria – Hand-Painted
Located in LA FERTÉ-SOUS-JOUARRE, FR
A stunning 18th-century Orthodox icon depicting Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, an important Patriarch and Church Father. This religious artwork is hand-painted on a solid wooden pan...
Category
Mid-18th Century Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Fruitwood
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
Large 19th Century Mottled Coco De Mer on Stand Maritime Sailors Curio
Located in Lowestoft, GB
A large late 19th Century Coco De Mer
The Coco De Mer is mounted on an orange threaded and tasseled stem set within a ebonised base.
The coco is solid in structure with an unusual...
Category
19th Century Seychellois Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Natural Fiber, Wood
Three Antique Petanque Balls, France, Late 19th Century
Located in Chappaqua, NY
Three Antique Pétanque Balls, France, late 19th Century. Solid wood center, covered in hammered, steel nails with accent brass and copper nails....
Category
Late 19th Century French Industrial Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass, Copper, Steel
18th Century Giltwood All Seeing Eye of God Devotional Gold Sunburst
Located in Hastings, GB
An incredible and very rare late 18th century Italian giltwood sunburst, with the All Seeing Eye of God to the centre surrounded by a formation of clouds, in beautiful time worn cond...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Gesso, Wood
Early Jaques Chess Set Circa 1870
Located in Flower Mound, TX
An fabulous early Victorian Jaques & Son of London turned ebony and boxwood weighted chess set entitled ‘The Staunton Chess-Men’.
Housed within the...
Category
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Ebony
Antique Gothic Hand-Carved Crucifix w. Polychrome Corpus, European Church Relic
Located in Lisse, NL
Gothic Revival hand-carved crucifix with original polychrome, 19th Century European ecclesiastical ART.
An exquisite and spiritually moving 19th-century fine hand-carved oakwood cru...
Category
1890s French Arts and Crafts Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood, Oak, Paint
'Taxi Driver' Original Vintage Movie Poster, Japanese, 1976
Located in Devon, GB
Set amidst the moral decay of New York City following the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal, Martin Scorsese's 1976 psychological thriller "Taxi Driver" starred Robert De Niro as a l...
Category
1970s Japanese Post-Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Antique Edison Model A Cylinder Phonograph & Cabinet W/ 93 Record Music Tubes
Located in Dayton, OH
An exception Early Thomas Edison Model A Cylinder Phonograph with original horn, tube cabinet & 93 records. Phonograph box and cabinet are made from oak in Late Victorian manner wit...
Category
Late 19th Century Late Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
20th Century "The Last Supper" Dark Metal Relief
Located in Miami, FL
"The Last Supper" metal relief.
Relief measurements without frame: 24 in x 14 in.
Category
Late 19th Century European Neoclassical Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Antique EH Sargent Labratory Precision Orsat Gas Analyzer Apparatus Case 21"
Located in Dayton, OH
Late 19th - early 20th century Orsat gas analyzer apparatus with absorption pipettes and hardwood case, produced by E.H. Sargent & Company.
An Orsat gas analyser or Orsat apparatus ...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass, Rubber, Hardwood
Antique Japanese Mitsuore Ningyo of a Girl
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Japanese Mitsuore ningyo of a girl, a jointed costume doll crafted of wood and covered in multiple layers of burnished gofun, made to stand as well as kneel, fabric and wire upper arms to facilitate costuming, a beautiful modeled face...
Category
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silk, Wood
17th/18th Century Baroque Period Carved Polychrome Santo Altar Statue
Located in Forney, TX
A scarce Baroque period Spanish or Italian hand carved polychrome painted wood Santo sculpture with inset colored glass eyes, original white robe garb and later wood rosary.
Intrica...
Category
Early 18th Century European Baroque Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Gesso, Wood, Paint
MILNE. The House At Pooh Corner. LIMITED EDITION SIGNED BY CHRISTOPHER MILNE !
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: MILNE, A. A.
TITLE: The House At Pooh Corner. London: Methuen Children's Books, 1978.
DESCRIPTION: LIMITED EDITION SIGNED BY CHRISTOPHER MILNE. 1 vol, 7-1/2" x 5-1/4", limi...
Category
1970s British Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
French 19th Century Glass Dome with Brass Decoration
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
Popular in the 19th century, domed glass displays offered protection for portico clocks and flora & fauna specimens without compromising visibility. Inside this cloche is an oval eas...
Category
19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver, Brass
Pair Of Antique Display Domes, English, Glass, Taxidermy Showcase, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a pair of antique display domes. An English, glass over pine taxidermy showcase, dating to the early Victorian period, circa 1850.
Superb display pair, with appealing bases...
Category
Mid-19th Century British Early Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass, Pine
Brass round-section ground astronomical telescope France circa 1870
Located in Milan, IT
Astronomical round-section brass ground astronomical telescope with single-elongation focusing and rack and pinion, with researcher viewfinder, complete with oak rack stand and orig...
Category
1870s Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
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
Antique Cased Octant, Scottish, Ebony, Navigation Instrument, Sextant, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique cased octant. A Scottish, ebony navigational instrument, dating to the Victorian period, circa 1850.
Appealing navigation ins...
Category
1850s British Early Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Ebony, Walnut
Antique 19th century carved hardwood rosary
Located in Bilzen, BE
A rosary complete made from hardwood in the 19th century
each ball is decorated with turned cirkels and have a diameter between 1 and 1.5 cm
The cross is 6.5 x 3.5 cm
Category
19th Century French Folk Art Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
The Genealogy of Jesus, print on Italian paper from 1820.
Located in Milan, IT
A paper print depicting the genealogy of Jesus, his family tree, with the charm of a time machine reconstructs the genealogy of Christ's ancestors, as per the Gospel according to Mat...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass, Fruitwood, Paper
Antique Leather-Bound 29-Volume Collection – The Novels of Charles Lever (1894)
Located in Tarry Town, NY
This rare and distinguished 29-volume set of The Novels of Charles Lever, published in 1894 by Little, Brown & Company, Boston, MA, is a magnificent addition to any fine library or s...
Category
1890s Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Paper
19th Century Singer Sewing Machine
Located in Austin, TX
Transport yourself back in time with our exquisite 19th-century Singer Sewing Machine, discovered in France. Crafted with a sturdy cast iron base and an elegant oak frame, this vinta...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Iron
Exquisite Antique French Silver and Niello Enamel Sculptural Pectoral Cross
Located in New York, NY
Superb, museum quality antique French silver and niello enamel high relief sculptural pectoral cross
19th Century
Complex and beautifully rendered crucifix done in finely detailed ni...
Category
19th Century French Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver, Enamel
1977 Mahjong Bakelite Set with Original Case
Located in Redding, CT
National Mahjong League Bakelite set with original case. Special 40th anniversary production. Dated 1977-1978. Original carrying case is a faux alligator finish in red. The set come...
Category
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bakelite
19th Century French Iron Balance - Antique Small Brass Scale
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A small, antique French intricate brass balance with different weights in solid brass, in good condition. The iron scale is topped with the original polished brass plates. The scale ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal, Brass, Iron
Copernican Delamarche Planetary With Hand Mechanism
Located in Firenze, IT
SHIPPING POLICY:
No additional costs will be added to this order.
Shipping costs will be totally covered by the seller (customs duties included).
Copernican-type planetary globe in cardboard and engraved paper mounted on a blackened wooden stand.
France, circa 1810.
H. 54 cm Diam. 36 cm
Antique armillary spheres...
Category
1810s French Louis XVI Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
Tall Antique Taxidermy Specimen Dome, English, Glass Display Showcase, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a tall antique taxidermy specimen dome. An English, glass and ebonised base display showcase, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1880.
Appealing example, with a use...
Category
Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass, Wood
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.