Folk art is a genre of art that shares the creator’s traditions, offering not just an artistic display but an opportunity to learn about a culture. Antique, new and vintage folk art typically reflects a heritage or location. It can include utilitarian objects and handmade art as diverse as weather vanes, duck decoys, portraiture and paintings, carnival art and quilts.
Quilts are a quintessential part of American folk art but their roots are international, with quilting dating back to Ancient Egypt. The practice spread to Europe and was especially prominent in the Middle Ages, with one of the oldest surviving examples being the Tristan quilt made in Sicily in the 14th century. They were made as bedcovers and clothing, including as a layer for knights to wear beneath their armor. Native American folk art includes functional objects reflecting their heritage, such as baskets, textiles and wooden pieces.
Elsewhere, the vast range of work associated with Mexican folk art includes masks made by Mexican craftspeople for traditional celebrations and ceremonial dances. Mexican masks are part of the country’s folk-art traditions that go back thousands of years and play a role in festivals and theater.
Works in the folk art tradition are valuable because of the skills involved, like weaving, hand-carving wood and even stonework. Many folk artists are self-taught, while some train as apprentices within their community. By using available materials and taking a personal approach to their creations, artists ensure each piece is unique and conveys a story.
During the Great Depression, artistic materials in America were hard to come by, so artisans used discarded wood from cigar boxes and shipping crates to make highly stylized, notched pieces — most often picture frames and boxes — that are today sought after by collectors. This folk art style is called tramp art and was popular from roughly 1870 until the 1940s.
Folk art brings vibrant culture and traditions into your home. Browse an extensive collection of antique, new and vintage folk art on 1stDibs.
early 20th Century Wabi Sabi 3 Leg Workshop Stool, German Folkart Around 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This early 20th century wabi sabi 3 leg workshop stool from Germany is an excellent example of this style. The piece has a square, rustic-looking seat made of wood and is supported b...
Wood
early 20th Century Wabi Sabi 3 Leg Workshop Stool, German Folkart Around 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This early 20th century wabi sabi 3 leg workshop stool from Germany is an excellent example of this style. The piece has a square, rustic-looking seat made of wood and is supported b...
Wood
Folk Art French Stool - Brutalist Wooden Tripod Stool - Solid Pine Wood - 1940s
Located in ROUEN, Normandie
Folk Art French Stool - Brutalist Wooden Tripod Stool - Solid Pine Wood - 1940s. French stool made of solid pine. Hand-carved in France in the 1940s. Beautiful and rare carving wo...
Wood, Fruitwood, Pine
early 20th Century Wabi Sabi 3 Leg Stool, Austria Around 1920s - 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This early 20th century wabi sabi 3 leg milking stool from Austria is an excellent example of this style. The piece has a square, rustic-looking seat made of wood and is supported by...
Wood
Antique Swedish Rustic Folk Art Stool
Located in Kramfors, SE
Antique Swedish rustic stool in folk art made with three legs. The stool has a round seat and is in its untouched original condition. The paint has become distressed with time and the resulting patina is full of rustic charm and character. This stool is from northern Sweden and made around the 1820s. Older stools...
Pine
early 20th Century Wabi Sabi 3 Leg Workshop Stool, German Folkart Around 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This early 20th century wabi sabi 3 leg workshop stool from Germany is an excellent example of this style. The piece has a square, rustic-looking seat made of wood and is supported b...
Wood
Swedish Allmoge / Folk Art, Stool, Dated 1948
Located in Stockholm, SE
Charming Swedish Folk Art / Allmoge stool in pine, dated 1948. Three legs with a hole which makes it easy to move around. Beautifu patina.
Pine
Scandinavian Mid-Century Hand-Carved Pine Wood Stool
Located in Karis, Nyland
A hand-carved pine wood stool with an organic form and an almost brutalist sense of weight. Shaped from solid pine, the seat follows the natural grain of the wood, with visible growt...
Wood, Pine
Dated 1951 Rare Kubbestol, Telemark Rosemaling by Jon Gjelstad, Norway
Located in Skien, NO
Vintage Norwegian Kubbestol by Jon Gjelstad, Drangedal 1951 A magnificent and authentic example of mid-century Norwegian folk art, this hand-crafted Kubbestol (or log chair / stump ...
Beech, Birch, Bentwood, Pine
Early 19th Century Swedish Country Oak Stool
Located in Kastrup, DK
A distinctive Swedish country stool made from solid oak. The seat is carved from a single, solid oak plank and supported by three turned, splayed legs. It remains in untouched, orig...
Oak
1700s Rustic Pine Kubbestol, Primitive Stump Chair, Telemark Rosemaling, Norway
Located in Skien, NO
An 18th Century Antique Kubbestol from Telemark, Norway – A Sculptural Piece of Scandinavian Folk Art This exceptional Kubbestol, or traditional Norwegian stump chair, represents a ...
Pine, Wood
c. 1911 Antique Norwegian Kubbestol, Hand-painted "Saint George and the Dragon"
Located in Skien, NO
Over 100 years old - A unique, handcrafted antique chair from the Nordic region, dated 1911! A sculptural piece of Norwegian heritage, this early 20th-century Kubbestol, or “stump c...
Beech, Birch, Bentwood, Pine
Late 18th Century Boldly Turned Windsor Stool in Old Red Paint
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Boldly turned 18th century Windsor stool in old red paint having a slightly dished circular seat with molded sides raised on three ring and ball legs with ball feet.
Wood
A Traditional Camel Saddle / Stool A Traditional Camel Saddle
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
A Traditional Camel Saddle / Stool A Traditional Camel Saddle constructed from several pieces of scratch carved olive wood, tied together with strips of...
Olive
Pair of 20th Century Wabi Sabi 4 Leg Stool, Austria Around 1940s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This pair of 20th century wabi sabi 4 leg stools from Austria is an excellent example of this style. Each piece has a rustic-looking seat made of wood and ...
Wood
Tribal Molave Wood Stool with Carved Male Head
Located in Kastrup, DK
Philippine Tribal Stool in Carved Wood. Unique small stool crafted from solid molave hardwood. The front features a striking, hand-carved male head – a prominent example of tradition...
Hardwood
Natural wooden stool 20th century period Italian
By Mice di rugiano domenico e c. s.n.c.
Located in Cantù, IT
Natural wooden stool 20th century period Italian
Wood
Early 18th Century Swedish Vernacular Bordstol or Chair-Table
Located in Aartselaar, BE
An exceptional and highly characterful Swedish vernacular bordstol, or chair-table, dating from the 18th century. The bordstol belongs to a fascinating tradition of multifunctional ...
Pine
Antique Ghanian Ashanti Style Stool with Leopard Carved, Africa
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Carved Antique African Leopard Ashanti Style Stool. Early 20th Century Ghanaian Ashanti style leopard stool. Animal leopard stool hand-carved wood from ...
Wood
$240Sale Price|20% Off
Beautiful Hand Painted 20" Thai Woman Wooden Sculpture
Located in Pasadena, TX
This beautiful sculpture is hand carved and painted. It depicts a beautiful Thai woman dress in adornment. It's beautifully painted and hand carved.
Wood, Paint
1960s Handcrafted Stool - Rustic Folk Art with Handwoven Wool Seat, Norway
Located in Skien, NO
Classic Style Mid-Century Norwegian Bench/Stool - Handcrafted Scandinavian Charm - Small Size Furniture Add a touch of vintage Scandinavian elegance to your home with this one-of-a-...
Pine, Wool, Beech
$240Sale Price|20% Off
Rabbit covered in Fabric
Located in Pasadena, TX
This is a finely coated Rabbit in fabric. This rabbit is fabric coated. The fabric has a floral print.
Fabric
Antique English 19th Century Vernacular Cricket Table Side Table Stool
Located in London, GB
Antique English 19th century Vernacular cricket table side table stool Beautiful sculptural piece. Good colour and patina. In very good condition commensurate of age.
Birch
A Petit Point Embroidered Tapestry Upholstered Stool A Lovely piece
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
A Petit Point Embroidered Tapestry Upholstered Stool A Lovely piece, the stool has a geometric designed embroidered wool seat set on a dark blue background, it is set on walnut cabr...
Beech
$290Sale Price|50% Off
Vintage Screw Stool - 1970s Solid Beech
Located in Manzano, IT
Wonderful example of industrial/craft design from the 1970s. This screw stool is not just a piece of furniture, but a sturdy and functional item, perfect for studios, professional st...
Beech
19th Century Ash and Elm Cricket Table Stool, Antique Folk Art Style
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
19th Century Ash and Elm Cricket Table Stool This is a very rare country piece, the stool is made in ash and elm, the seat is made from a solid slice of the tree you can see by th...
Elm
Vintage Wood Slab Side Table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This unique vintage side table is a masterful celebration of nature's geometry, perfectly capturing the spirit of Organic Modern and Rustic design. Crafted from a substantial, cross-...
Wood
Studio Furniture American Craft Stool Mid-century modern 1960s USA
Located in Antwerp, BE
Walnut stool, hand-crafted, studio craft, USA Wendell Castle, Roger sloan, JB Blunk, Jawar, Richard Bronk, Gerald Mccabe, Bobby Falwell, David Scott, Charles Fischer, Howard Osinski...
Walnut
1930s Italian rustic wood low stool
By Mice di rugiano domenico e c. s.n.c.
Located in Cantù, IT
1930s Italian rustic wood low stool
Wood
Folk Art Wrought Iron Stool with Tractor Parts, France, circa 1950s
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Unique sculpturesque artist's stool made out of assembled wrought iron tractor parts.