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Collectibles and Curiosities For Sale
Period: Late 20th Century
Period: 1930s
Leather "Medizinball 3 kg", Medicine Ball, Germany, circa 1930s
Located in Aramits, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
German "Medizinball - 3kg" - medicine ball circa 1930s. Dark honey-colored saddle leather with great patina in very good vintage condition. 3kg - 6.6 lbs.
Category
1930s German Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
Louis XVI Style Carved Mantle, Fireplace Surround, Solid Wood Carved, Oak
Located in Manhasset, NY
A Louis XVI style carved mantle, fireplace surround, solid wood carved.
This stunning Solid Oak Fireplace Surround is wonderfully carved having been ...
Category
Late 20th Century Louis XV Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
Chinese Export Porcelain: An Historical Survey by Elinor Gordon First Edition
By Elinor Gordon
Located in valatie, NY
Chinese Export Porcelain: An Historical Survey by Elinor Gordon. Stated first edition hardcover. Main Street / Universe Books, New York, 1975. By the doyen of export porcelain. A col...
Category
1970s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
The Clock Book by Wallace Nutting
Located in valatie, NY
The Clock Book by Wallace Nutting. Garden City Publishing Co, Inc., 1935. 2nd Ed hardcover with dust jacket. A comprehensive guide to American and European clocks...
Category
1930s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Meissen, Organized by the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami 1977, 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
Meissen, organized by the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, 1977. 1st Ed softcover. A museum exhibition that started with a core donation from ...
Category
1970s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Pair of Encyclopedias: Tables and Sofas, First Edition Books
Located in valatie, NY
Pair of Encyclopedias: Tables by Simon Yates and Sofas by Constance King. The Wellfleet Press, London, 1989. First edition hardcovers with dust jackets. A pair of great historical re...
Category
1980s English Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Art of William Christenberry, First Edition
Located in valatie, NY
The Art of William Christenberry. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1996. 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. 207 pp. A comprehensive surv...
Category
Late 20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
In Good Hands, 25 Years of Art in the Life of a Dealer, by Achim Moeller, 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
In Good Hands, 25 Years of Art in the Life of a Dealer, by Achim Moeller. Published by Achim Moeller Fine Art, New York, 1997. 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. Achim Moeller is a German-American art dealer, adviser, art historian, scholar and curator. He is the founder and head of Moeller Fine Art and the Achim Moeller Art Advisory. Color and black and white plates, includes works by; Jackson Pollock, Paul Klee, Otto Mueller, Paul Gauguin, Feininger, Kandinsky, Marc Chagall, Alexej von Jawlensky...
Category
1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Huntsman, What Quarry? by Edna St. Vincent Millay, a Play in Three Acts
Located in valatie, NY
The King's Henchman, a Play in Three Acts by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Harper & Brothers, New York and London, 1927. (D-O date code for April 1939.) First Edition no dust jacket. She ...
Category
1930s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Dictionary of British Landscape Painters by Maurice H. Grant
Located in valatie, NY
Dictionary of British landscape painters by Maurice H. Grant. Leigh-on-Sea: Lewis, UK, 1970. Re-print hardcover with dust jacket. One of the bibles of English landscape painters.
NPT...
Category
1970s English Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
1980s French Red Gripoix Pearl Sautoir Necklace Pate de Verre Costume Jewelry
By Francoise Montague
Located in Hyattsville, MD
French sautoir comprised of an ornate gilt metal chain accented by white faux pearls and red geometric gripoix and pate de verre elements. The necklace can be doubled.
Length: 51 in...
Category
1980s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Art Glass
Sotheby's Continental Furniture, Decorations and Carpets, Prince Giulio Di Monza
Located in valatie, NY
Sotheby's: Fine Continental Furniture, Decorations and Carpets Including Property from The Collection of Prince Giulio Durini Di Monza, October 1997. 416 lots on 173 pages Illustrate...
Category
1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Sebastião Salgado, Gold. Limited Edition, signed Photography book
Located in Los Angeles, CA
For a decade, Serra Pelada evoked the long-promised El Dorado as the world’s largest open-air gold mine, employing some 50,000 diggers in appalling conditions. Today, Brazil’s gold...
Category
Late 20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Other
Being There by Jerzy N. Kosinski, Stated 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
Being There by Jerzy N. Kosinski. Published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, NY, 1970. Stated 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. 142 pages. hardcover. Dust ja...
Category
1970s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Norman Rockwell’s People by Susan E. Meyer
Located in Bradenton, FL
Norman Rockwell’s People by Susan E. Meyer. Hardcover book with dustjacket. First edition, published in 1981 by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., of New York. Printed and bound in Japan, 242 pa...
Category
1980s Japanese Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Rolo Banca 1473: Palazzo Magnani, by Pier Luigi Cervellati, 1st Ed in English
Located in valatie, NY
Rolo Banca 1473: Palazzo Magnani, by Pier Luigi Cervellati. Published by Cinisello Balsamo, Milan Italy, 1997. 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. Palazzo Magnani, the collection of a...
Category
1990s Italian Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
1930s Antique Project of the Ship Ortac Morgan Giles Shipyard Uffa Fox archives
Located in Milan, IT
Project of the ship Ortac; launched in 1937 at the Morgan Giles shipyard, length 10.68m overall, width 3.39m, it has a mast rather tail-heavy and it won many races of RORC class. Mea...
Category
1930s British Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Classic Victoria Littlejohn Hand Thrown Mid Century Pottery Vessel Dish Ashtray
Located in Miami, FL
An enticing pottery design by Victoria Littlejohn, hand thrown Dish with a wonderful neutral oatmeal color glaze with a central red orange crystalline thick glaze surrounded by a cri...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Clay, Earthenware, Pottery
Illustrated Guide to Antique Writing Instruments by George Fischler, 1st Edition
Located in valatie, NY
The Illustrated Guide to Antique Writing Instruments by Stuart & George Fischler. 1st Edition softcover. 160 pages. This book has become th...
Category
1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Chamberlain-Worcester Porcelain, 1788-1852 by Geoffrey a. Godden
By Geoffrey A. Godden
Located in valatie, NY
Chamberlain-Worcester Porcelain, 1788-1852 by Geoffrey A. Godden. Magna Books, 1992. Hardcover with dust jacket. 375 pages with 433 black and white illustrations and 25 in full color...
Category
1990s British Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Woodner Collection Master Drawings, Exhibition Press Copy with Original Slides
Located in valatie, NY
Woodner Collection Master Drawings, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Abaris Books, 1990. Exhibition press catalogue of the Ian Woodner's private c...
Category
Late 20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Vermont Clock & Watchmakers, Silversmiths, & Jewelers, 1778-1878, Signed Ltd Ed
Located in valatie, NY
Vermont Clock and Watchmakers, Silversmiths, and Jewelers, 1778-1878 by Lilian Baker Carlisle. L.B. Carlisle, Burlington VT, 1970. 1st, signed and numbered Ed (#601/1000) hardcover w...
Category
1970s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Blue Chips Catalogue
Located in valatie, NY
Blue Chips from Jim's of Lambertville. 128 pp. A gallery catalogue from Jim's of Lambertville, an art dealer specializing in Pennsylvania impressionist and m...
Category
1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Gardens of Historic Charleston, by James R. Cothran, Signed Ed
Located in valatie, NY
Gardens of Historic Charleston, by James R. Cothran, Signed Ed. University of South Carolina Press, 1995. Hardcover with dust jacket. With the increasing interest in small-space gard...
Category
1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Drawings of Filippino Lippi and His Circle
Located in Bradenton, FL
The Drawings of Filippino Lippi and his circle. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibition held there from October 28th ...
Category
1990s Italian Renaissance Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Sotheby's London, Michael Lipitch, Furniture and Decorations
Located in valatie, NY
Sotheby's London; Michael Lipitch, furniture and decorations from the Michael Lipitch Gallery, 98 Fulham Road. London: Sotheby's, 1998. Softcover. 293 ...
Category
Late 20th Century English Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Sotheby's the Jerome Rapoport Collection of American Aesthetic Silver
Located in valatie, NY
Sotheby's; The Jerome Rapoport Collection of American Aesthetic Silver. New York: Sotheby's, 1996. Unpaginated softcover. In the 1870's the American Aesthetic Movement broke from Tra...
Category
Late 20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Sotheby's Chateau de Cornillon, Loire, France, October 2006
Located in valatie, NY
Sotheby's Chateau de Cornillon, Loire, France: Important Gothic and Renaissance Furniture, Works of Art & Textiles. London: Sotheby's, 2006. Softcover. 126 pp. Château de Cornillon i...
Category
Late 20th Century English Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Sotheby's, English Porcelain and Furniture Mr. and Mrs John Treleaven Oct, 1990
Located in valatie, NY
Sotheby's, English porcelain and furniture Mr. and Mrs John Treleaven October, 1990. 260 lots, illustrated in black and white and color. Treleavan was an expert on English furniture ...
Category
Late 20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Peggy Bacon, Personalities and Places by Peggy Bacon
Located in valatie, NY
Peggy Bacon, Personalities and Places: Exhibition at the National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., ...
Category
1970s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Old Blue Scale Gwarancja Olsztyn, Europe, 1970s
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
A fantastic antique weighing scale with nicely aged blue paint. Made by Gwarancja Factory in Olsztyn, Poland in the late 20th century. It presents...
Category
1970s Polish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal, Iron
Ships Telegraph By Bendix of Brooklyn NY
Located in Norwell, MA
Polished brass ships engine order telegraph by Bendix of Brooklyn N.Y. Serial number CB-13402-5A is also shown. Ships commands slow, half, full, stop, astern and ahead are the displa...
Category
1930s North American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
Paktong, by W.D. John & Katherine Coombes, 1/500, Signed by the Authors, 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
Paktong: The Non-Tarnishable Chinese 'Silver' Alloy Used for 'Adam' Firegrates and Early Georgian Candlesticks
by W. D. John and Katherine Coombes, 1/500, Signed by Both Authors. Ceramic Book...
Category
1970s English Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
El gran llibre del Liceu Hardcover Book by Roger Alier
Located in North Hollywood, CA
El gran llibre del Liceu by Roger Alier.
Publisher : Carroggio (January 1, 1999).
Language : Spanish/ Catalan.
Hardcover : 367 pages.
The Gran Teatre del Liceu (Catalan:...
Category
Late 20th Century Spanish Baroque Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
THE JAM: A Beat Concerto - Paolo Hewitt
Located in CA, CA
Published by William Clowes Limited, 1st edition, London, 1983. Soft cover, English text.
The Jam is a rock trio who were known for their mod image, quintessential English flavour and the distinct stylistic mixture of psychedelic rock and 1960s beat music...
Category
1980s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Auto Plastic: Wendell Castle 1968-1973 by Donald Albrecht (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
AutoPlastic: Wendell Castle (1968-1973) accompanied R & Company’s exhibition of the same name, curated by Donald Albrecht and on view at the gallery’s 82 Franklin location from April 20 to June 15, 2004.
AutoPlastic situates Wendell Castle’s plastic furniture in the context of late 1960s and early 1970s design innovations and examines, through a selection of photographs, magazine clippings, and ephemera, the relationship between the objects and their era’s social and cultural concerns. With natural, primitive, archaic, and womb-like forms, Castle’s plastic objects recall a time when novelty and fantasy were a means of individual expression (“doing your own thing”). They also highlight how environmentalism (“going back to the earth”) and escapism (“getting away from it all”) were intense reactions to the upheaval of America’s shifting values, student protests...
Category
Late 20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Tiffany's 150 Years by John Loring, First Edition, 1987
Located in Bradenton, FL
Tiffany's 150 years by John Loring. First edition, published in 1987 by Doubleday & Company Inc. of Garden City, New York. Hardcover, 192 pages.
Category
1980s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
1930's German Art Deco Porcelain Half Doll
Located in Red Lion, PA
Stunning 1930s German Art Deco Porcelain Half Doll with Rococo Hairstyle
This exquisite 1930s German porcelain half doll captures the refined beauty and timeless glamour of the Art Deco period, paired with the romantic influence of 18th-century Rococo style. Rendered in fine porcelain with exceptional attention to detail, this rare figure is a striking example of German artistry at its peak.
Her delicate features are simply enchanting — bright blue eyes accented by soft blue eyeshadow, rosy cheeks, and vivid red lips, all hand-painted with precision. Her ornate updo evokes the powdered wigs of the 1700s, gathered high with an elegant bow at the back and a tiny tiara perched at the front, nodding to both historic elegance and theatrical flair.
What sets this figure apart is her graceful, outstretched arms, posed in a fluid and balletic gesture, capturing a moment of poised movement. It’s a pose both sculptural and expressive, and one rarely seen in typical half dolls. Her condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, or signs of repair. Here delicately painted features remain vivid after nearly a century.
German half dolls...
Category
1930s German Art Deco Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Porcelain
Selected Works of Russian Art 11th-Early 20th Century, First Edition
By Sokolova Natalia
Located in valatie, NY
Selected works of Russian Art: Architecture Sculpture painting Graphic Art: 11th-early 20th century, Sokolova Natalia (editor). Aurora Art Publishers, Leningrad, 1976. This book cont...
Category
1970s European Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Val Saint Lambert Cut Crystal Ashtray Trinket Dish Vide Poche Clear Belgium 1970
Located in Miami, FL
Signed Val Saint Lambert Diamond faceted shaped lead crystal Ashtray, hand cut-to-clear, the glass clear thick, deeply and evenly cut, made in Bel...
Category
Late 20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Crystal
Glover Collection Rookwood Pottery by Cincinnati Art Galleries, 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
Glover collection: Rookwood pottery. Cincinnati: Cincinnati Art Galleries, 1993. 1st Ed paperback, unpaginated auction catalogue, featuring 1201...
Category
1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
History of the Nineteenth Army Corps by Richard B. Irwin
Located in valatie, NY
History of the Nineteenth Army Corps by Richard B. Irwin. Elliott's Book Shop Press, Baton Rouge, 1985. Reprint of the original 1892 Edition. 1st Ed thus hardcover with no dust jacket. The history of the famous 19th Corps, a unit in the Union Army famed for its successes and daring during the American Civil War. This edition includes the original battlefield maps. A series of daring victories swiftly established the special reputation of the 19th. At the height of their prowess, the company demonstrated great martial skill during the Siege of Port Hudson and in Shenandoah Valley. Notably, the 19th had a large contingent of black soldiers...
Category
1980s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Vintage Ceramic Hot Dog and Hamburger Banks, Set of Two
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Ceramic Hot Dog and Hamburger Banks, Set of Two
Offered for sale is a vintage whimsical hot dog and hamburger bank set. The life size ceramic pieces look extremely realisti...
Category
Late 20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Ceramic
Vintage Intaglio Polo Glass Pin Tray
Located in Oxfordshire, GB
Vintage Intaglio Polo Glass Pin Tray.
A small glass pin tray with intaglio images of polo players set into the base, which have then been painted. The sma...
Category
1930s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass
Indian Baskets of the Southwest by Clara Lee Tanner, First Edition
By Clara Lee Tanner
Located in valatie, NY
Indian baskets of the Southwest by Clara Lee Tanner. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ, 1983. First edition hardcover with dust jacket. 242pp. The book contains more than 400 f...
Category
1980s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Art Deco Lipstick Holder in Silver, 1930s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A small lipstick holder in 830/1000 silver. Intricate guilloché around its perimeter. It weights in around 50 gr. and is signed by the maker and Hallma...
Category
1930s Art Deco Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver
Sketch of a tiger Korea 1970s Acrylic on Paper for an Animals Encyclopedia
Located in Milan, IT
Acrylic colors on paper depicting a tiger; it is a preparatory sketch commissioned for an animals encyclopedia for children, created and signed by a Korean artist in the 1970s. Very ...
Category
1970s Korean Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
1980s Vintage Tropical Blends Hawaii surfboard by Dan Nakasone
Located in Haleiwa, HI
1980s Vintage Tropical Blends Hawaii surfboard shaped by Dan Nakasone. Features squash tail shape with colorful airbrush design, channel bottom, and glassed-on thruster (tri-fins). A beautiful example of a fully restored 1980s vintage Hawaiian surfboard.
Category
1980s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Fiberglass, Foam, Softwood
Antique Botanical Plate Boehmeria tenacissima Bohemian Manufacture of the 1930s
Located in Milan, IT
Colored lithograph applied on light cardboard depicting botanical study with various sections of Boehmeria tenacissima Roxb and of Corchorus capsularis L. Bohemian manufacture of the...
Category
1930s Czech Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
"Summer Cottages and Castles, Scenes from the Good Life, " First Edition Book
Located in valatie, NY
Summer Cottages and Castles, Scenes from the Good Life by Patricia Corbin. New York: E.P. Dutton, Inc., 1983. First edition hardcover with dust jacket. 139 pp. Photographic overview ...
Category
1980s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Porch Presence Interior Design for the Exterior Room, Sally Fennell, 1st Edition
Located in valatie, NY
Porch Presence: Interior design for the Exterior Room, by Sally Fennell. Grove Weidenfeld Press, New York, 1990. Stated 1st Edition hardcover with dust jacket. It begins with a histo...
Category
1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Tiffany Windows by Alastair Duncan
Located in Bradenton, FL
Tiffany Windows by Alastair Duncan. Hardcover book with dustjacket, published in 1982 by Simon and Schuster of New York. Printed and bound in Italy by ...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
America Restored by Carol M Highsmith and Ted Landphair
Located in valatie, NY
America Restored by Carol M Highsmith and Ted Landphair. Preservation Press, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washingtion, D.C., 1998. Hardcover with dust jacket. Beautiful ...
Category
1990s American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Sotheby's, New York Important Paperweights, Sale No. 5349
Located in valatie, NY
Sotheby's - New York: Important Paperweights - Sale No. 5349 - Saturday, June 15, 1985. Sotheby's Auction House, NY, June 1985. 1st Ed softcover. 393 lots photographed in color and b...
Category
1980s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
English Art Deco Royal Commemorative Porcelain Coronation Set
Located in New York, NY
This collection of English commemorative ware consists of a 1937 Edward VIII coronation tea set, two 1837 Edward VIII coronation plates, a 1937 Edward VIII coronation flute, and a 1939 plate commemorating George VI and Queen Elizabeth's trip to the United States and Canada.
The Coronation tea set consists of a teapot, two cups, each with a saucer, a creamer and a coupe-shaped, open sugar bowl. The teapot, cups, creamer, and sugar bowl all feature Edward VIII's coronation portrait on the front and his seal on the back. The teapot, creamer, and sugar bowl are each circumscribed with gold trim and feature a delightful cracklature. Each piece is stamped "Made in England" and the teapot is also stamped "Lancasters LTD".
The two conical-shaped teacups have handles which are decorated with a fine, royal blue line. The rim of each teacup, as well as their saucers, are also adorned with royal blue lines. Each piece is stamped "Made in England".
The scalloped edged Edward VIII coronation plate offers a 24-karat gold trim and features Edward VIII's coronation portrait and seal, the back is stamped "L&Sons LTD". The second coronation plate is square with scalloped corners. In the center of the plate is a grisaille portrait...
Category
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Gold
LLadro Porcelain Figurines, a Set of 4
By Lladro
Located in Plainview, NY
A set of 4 Lladro (Spain) porcelain figurines. One figurine of a woman feeding ducks, one figurine of a woman holding a lamb, one of a group of ducks and the last one is a clown. Each figurine is signed in the bottom.
Figurine 1: 5” L x 3.75” H x 2” D (ducks only)
Figurine 2: 5” L x 10” H x 3” D ( woman holding lamb...
Category
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Porcelain
Rare Vintage Cartier Panther Bracelet Silk Scarf Brown Irish Linen
By Cartier
Located in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Title:
Rare Vintage French Cartier Panther Bracelet Silk Scarf Brown Irish Linen Pillow
Katie Larmour Studio is the original vintage scarf pi...
Category
Late 20th Century French Baroque Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Linen, Silk
The Owl and the Pussycat
Located in London, GB
Original Us film poster for the 1970 comedy, romance The Owl and the Pussycat starring Barbra Streisand and George Segal.
This film was directed by Herbert Ross.
This poster is conse...
Category
1970s American Vintage 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.