Taxidermy
1840s Antique Taxidermy
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Taxidermy
Foil
1910s English Sporting Art Vintage Taxidermy
Oak, Paper
1860s American Antique Taxidermy
Paper
Early 1800s English Antique Taxidermy
Paper
Early 20th Century American Taxidermy
Paper
1860s American Antique Taxidermy
Paper
1970s American Vintage Taxidermy
Paper
Early 1800s English Antique Taxidermy
Paper
Early 1800s English Antique Taxidermy
Paper
1890s French Antique Taxidermy
Paper
Late 18th Century European Antique Taxidermy
1870s American Antique Taxidermy
Paper
1910s Unknown Vintage Taxidermy
Organic Material
20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Taxidermy
Brass
20th Century French Taxidermy
Organic Material
2010s American Victorian Taxidermy
Wood, Feathers
2010s Dutch Taxidermy
Animal Skin
2010s Dutch Taxidermy
Feathers
20th Century European Taxidermy
Organic Material, Wood
Mid-20th Century Asian Taxidermy
Organic Material
1910s French Vintage Taxidermy
Organic Material
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Taxidermy
Feathers
20th Century African Taxidermy
1920s American Victorian Vintage Taxidermy
Horn, Wool
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.