Folk Art Furniture
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.
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
1910s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Spanish Folk Art Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
1840s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Paper
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood
1990s African Folk Art Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine, Paint
1820s German Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century German Antique Folk Art Furniture
Antler, Wood
Early 20th Century Hungarian Folk Art Furniture
Silk
1990s Italian Folk Art Furniture
Wood
1810s Italian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Fir
Mid-18th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century French Folk Art Furniture
Wood, Fruitwood
Early 20th Century German Folk Art Furniture
Pewter
1930s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Mercury Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Folk Art Furniture
Iron
1930s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Mercury Glass
Early 1900s Austrian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Composition
1940s French Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Metal
1950s Italian Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century English Folk Art Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
1850s Romanian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Beech
20th Century Sicilian Folk Art Furniture
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Mexican Folk Art Furniture
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware
Early 19th Century Ukrainian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Nutwood
Early 1900s German Antique Folk Art Furniture
Antler, Wood
1950s French Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Wood
1990s Balinese Folk Art Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Welsh Antique Folk Art Furniture
Slate
Mid-19th Century Antique Folk Art Furniture
Teak
1960s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Ceramic, Majolica
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
1820s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine, Paint
1970s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Stoneware
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
1960s Swedish Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Wood
1920s Austrian Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Antler, Wood
1840s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Paper
1930s Beninese Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Ebony
1840s Scandinavian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Romanian Folk Art Furniture
Pine
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
1930s Italian Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Elm
1840s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Paper
1960s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Iron
Early 20th Century French Folk Art Furniture
Pine
Mid-20th Century French Folk Art Furniture
Wood
Early 1900s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Paper
1940s Finnish Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
1840s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wool
20th Century Spanish Folk Art Furniture
Ceramic, Majolica
Early 19th Century Scandinavian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
1780s Antique Folk Art Furniture
Iron
1910s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Mercury Glass
Early 1900s German Antique Folk Art Furniture
Metal