Taxidermy
1870s British Early Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Natural Fiber
Mid-19th Century German Black Forest Antique Taxidermy
Antler, Wood
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Natural Fiber, Glass, Pine
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Natural Fiber, Blown Glass, Paper, Pine
19th Century Antique Taxidermy
Bronze
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Natural Fiber, Glass, Pine
1880s Austrian Black Forest Antique Taxidermy
Horn
19th Century European Antique Taxidermy
Natural Fiber
Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Plaster, Pine, Glass
Late 19th Century German Folk Art Antique Taxidermy
Bone, Wood
19th Century Australian Late Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Other
1880s Austrian Black Forest Antique Taxidermy
Horn
1880s Unknown Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Natural Fiber
Late 19th Century American Native American Antique Taxidermy
Hide
Early 1900s Antique Taxidermy
Bone, Horn
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Animal Skin, Wood, Paper, Feathers
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Pine
1890s Austrian Folk Art Antique Taxidermy
Antler, Wood
Late 19th Century Antique Taxidermy
Glass, Wood, Feathers
1840s Antique Taxidermy
Paper
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Glass, Wood, Feathers, Animal Skin
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Animal Skin
Early 1900s Austrian Folk Art Antique Taxidermy
Antler, Wood
Late 19th Century English Antique Taxidermy
Tortoise Shell
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Animal Skin, Wood, Paper, Feathers
19th Century English Antique Taxidermy
Wood, Feathers
Mid-19th Century German Black Forest Antique Taxidermy
Wood, Antler
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Animal Skin, Wood, Paper, Feathers
Late 19th Century English Antique Taxidermy
Natural Fiber, Glass, Hardwood
Late 19th Century German Black Forest Antique Taxidermy
Antler, Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Animal Skin, Wood, Paper, Feathers
1870s Austrian Sporting Art Antique Taxidermy
Horn
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Animal Skin, Wood, Paper, Feathers
19th Century English Antique Taxidermy
Natural Fiber, Glass, Paper
Late 19th Century German Black Forest Antique Taxidermy
Antler, Wood
Late 19th Century English Antique Taxidermy
Natural Fiber, Straw
Late 19th Century German Rustic Antique Taxidermy
Antler, Wood
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Antique Taxidermy
Silver
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Animal Skin, Wood, Paper, Feathers
1890s British Sporting Art Antique Taxidermy
Glass
Mid-19th Century German Black Forest Antique Taxidermy
Wood, Antler
Mid-19th Century German Black Forest Antique Taxidermy
Wood, Antler
1860s French Antique Taxidermy
Horn, Walnut
19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Taxidermy
Other
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Animal Skin, Wood, Paper, Feathers
Mid-19th Century English Antique Taxidermy
Velvet, Glass, Pine, Paper
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Taxidermy
Ostrich Eggshell, Oak
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Wood, Paper
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Animal Skin, Wood, Paper, Feathers
Late 19th Century African Antique Taxidermy
Natural Fiber
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Taxidermy
Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Wood, Paper
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Wood, Paper
19th Century English Antique Taxidermy
Natural Fiber, Oak
1880s American Antique Taxidermy
Antler, Leather, Horn
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Taxidermy
Glass, Wood
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.