Taxidermy
21st Century and Contemporary American Taxidermy
Fur
2010s American Taxidermy
Other
1950s American Organic Modern Vintage Taxidermy
Shell
21st Century and Contemporary American Victorian Taxidermy
Feathers, Driftwood
21st Century and Contemporary South African Taxidermy
Fur, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Taxidermy
Wood, Feathers
1950s Japanese Organic Modern Vintage Taxidermy
Coral
2010s Austrian Black Forest Taxidermy
Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Taxidermy
Organic Material, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary American Victorian Taxidermy
Wood, Feathers
2010s Taxidermy
Other
21st Century and Contemporary American Victorian Taxidermy
Feathers
2010s Taxidermy
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Taxidermy
Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Taxidermy
Other
21st Century and Contemporary European Taxidermy
Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary Taxidermy
Animal Skin
21st Century and Contemporary Taxidermy
Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Taxidermy
Organic Material
Early 2000s Taxidermy
Animal Skin
21st Century and Contemporary European Taxidermy
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary African Taxidermy
Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary American Taxidermy
Feathers
2010s American Organic Modern Taxidermy
Shell
21st Century and Contemporary Taxidermy
Shagreen
21st Century and Contemporary European Taxidermy
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Taxidermy
Feathers
2010s Austrian Black Forest Taxidermy
Fur
21st Century and Contemporary British Taxidermy
Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary South African Taxidermy
Bone
21st Century and Contemporary Hungarian Taxidermy
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Taxidermy
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Taxidermy
Glass, Organic Material
21st Century and Contemporary European Taxidermy
Polyester
21st Century and Contemporary European Taxidermy
Polyester
Decorating with Antique, New and Vintage Taxidermy
The centuries-old practice of taxidermy continues to enjoy remarkable longevity, with today's top designers making mounted and preserved animals key elements of their decor.
Taxidermy captures animals in an eternal moment of animation, so perhaps it’s fitting that the deployment of these preternaturally preserved creatures — and other natural specimens — as decorative accents has endured far longer than the sell-by-date for most design trends. Certainly, the style-setting enthusiasts of tasteful decorating with taxidermy are as passionate as they are many.
Martha Stewart is a lifelong lover of the preservationist’s art, and she has proudly posed with the vintage game birds, foxes and bears that adorn Skylands, her 1920s retreat in Seal Harbor, Maine. Angelina Jolie began an avian menagerie when her daughter Shiloh brought home a dead bird she wanted to keep as a pet. Danielle Steel has an elegant Paris residence packed with exotic specimens, including a giraffe in the foyer. Over-the-top taxidermy remains the flashy signature of party planner and decorator extraordinaire Ken Fulk.
For Chicago decorator Summer Thornton, the reason for taxidermy’s persistent appeal is obvious: “There’s nothing more beautiful than natural creation.” New York designer Ryan Korban agrees: “They add a layer of whimsy to a room that no other decorative arts element can give.” Patrick Mele, another New York designer, thinks there’s a spiritual component to this attraction. These creatures, he says, “are a special gift to be around. Birds, especially, are so colorful they look hyper-real. They remind us that those crazy colors are right there in nature.”
In the vast inventory of collectibles and curiosities on 1stDibs, find antique, new and vintage preserved and mounted taxidermy specimens for your Wunderkammern, mantle or carefully curated home library.