British Colonial Decorative Art
BRITISH COLONIAL STYLE
Typically made of mahogany, teak or bamboo and featuring a range of fabrics and prints with botanical patterns, antique British Colonial furniture and decor varies as it involved local materials and techniques and spanned centuries of design styles.
As the British Empire expanded from the 16th to the 20th century, its conquest and control of colonies around the world bolstered its wealth through the extraction of resources. Including colonies in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia, this spread of often violent subjugation imposed British culture, language and faith on Indigenous peoples. The design of homes was included in this expression of imperial power, with government officials, merchants and military officers creating homes mimicking the luxuries they were used to in England.
Local artisans were commissioned to replicate British designs, resulting in versions of Regency, Chippendale, Sheraton and other styles of furniture being crafted from mahogany, rosewood, ebony and teakwood as opposed to beech and oak, which were more common in Europe. Whereas the colonial furniture for the Portuguese and Dutch regularly had motifs of indigenous flora and fauna, the British tended to want more exact reproductions of their home country’s designs.
To escape the summer heat in places such as India and the Caribbean, British colonizers relocated to airy houses in the hills or plantations, leading to foldable chairs and collapsible desks in the style of military campaign furniture. Rather than upholstery as they might have in Europe, chairs and sofas in the British Colonial style had rattan and cane seating for these higher temperature climates. The contrast between the light textiles and the dark colors of the sturdy furniture became a defining aesthetic of British Colonial interiors.
Find a collection of antique British Colonial outdoor furniture, seating, bedroom furniture, decorative objects and other items on 1stDibs.
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Style: British Colonial
Antique Sir Richard Sutton Quorn Hounds Colored Fox Hunt Engraving Bromley
By Francis Grant
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique 19th century hand colored engraving titled Sir Richard Sutton and the Quorn Hounds, original painted by Francis Grant, engraved by Frederick...
Category
19th Century Antique British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Large Scale British Colonial Style Framed Tropical Fruit / Botanicals -S/9
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a set of nine very large scale British Colonial style framed reproduction tropical fruit prints. They are nicely framed and matted. They would make a stunning wall! The print...
Category
Late 20th Century American British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Wood, Paper
Arctic Council Discussing The Plan Of Search For The John Franklin Expedition
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
The Arctic Council Discussing The Plan Of Search For The John Franklin Expedition
After Stephen Pearce.
Limited Edition reproduction copied from an o...
Category
Late 20th Century Canadian British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Collection of 22 Swedish 20th Century Leather-Bound Books
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A collection of 22 Swedish decorative antique leather-bound library books.
The books are wrapped in leather-bound covers, comprised of a selection of warm tones and gold leaf print embossing.
The book collection measure horizontally is 80 cm, approximate 31,49 inches wide. This collection of books...
Category
Early 20th Century Swedish British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Leather, Paper
Collection of 34 Swedish 20th Century Leather-Bound Books
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A collection of 34 Swedish decorative antique leather-bound library books.
The books are wrapped in leather-bound covers, comprised of a selection of warm tones and gold leaf print e...
Category
Early 20th Century Swedish British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Leather, Paper
Collection of 24 Swedish 20th Century Leather-Bound Books
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A collection of 24 Swedish decorative antique leather-bound library books.
The books are wrapped in leather-bound covers, comprised of a selection of warm tones and gold leaf print embossing.
The book collection measure horizontally is 79 cm, approximate 31,10 inches wide. This collection of books...
Category
Early 20th Century Swedish British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Leather, Paper
Collection of 42 Swedish Early 20th Century Leather-Bound Books
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A collection of 47 Swedish decorative antique leather-bound library books from the from the 1930s-1940s.
The books are wrapped in leather-bound covers, comprised of a selection of w...
Category
Early 20th Century Swedish British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Leather, Paper
Collection of 47 Swedish 20th Century Leather-Bound Books
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A collection of 47 Swedish decorative antique leather-bound library books.
The books are wrapped in leather-bound covers, comprised of a selection of warm tones and gold leaf print ...
Category
Early 20th Century Swedish British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Leather, Paper
Set of Three Antique Hand Colored Seashell Engravings
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Historic set of three 18th century engravings hand painted in watercolor depicting seashell specimens in an early naturalist style. Presented u...
Category
Mid-18th Century German Antique British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Wood, Paint
Antique 1755 Copperplate Engraving Westminster Bridge Lambeth Survey of London
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique hand colored riverscape / landscape copperplate engraving based on a painting by Jacob Maurer and engraved by Paul Fourdrinier - A View of Westminster Bridge from Lambeth, published according to Act of Parliament 1754 for Stowe’s Survey of London. BIO: Paul Fourdrinier sometimes referred to as Peter or Pierre Fourdrinier, was an 18th Century engraver in England. Paul Fourdrinier, engraver and printseller, was born on 20 December 1698 in Groningen in the Netherlands, the son of Jacques Fourdrinier and his wife, Jeanne Theroude, Huguenot refugees from Dieppe, Normandy. He was a pupil of Bernard Picart at Amsterdam for six years, and came to England in 1720. He was employed in engraving portraits and book illustrations. He also engraved two works by Peter Monamy, marine paintings displayed in Vauxhall Gardens. The engravings were published in 1743, but may have been executed earlier. Starting in 1742 Fourdrinier produced a series of books consisting of numerous folding charts showing "The Succession of Colonels to all his Majesties Land Forces from their Rise to 1742", as well as many other details of British military and naval personnel. The 2004 edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography makes it clear that in the 19th century edition of the Dictionary of National Biography this engraver's works and career were assigned to two individuals, Peter (or Pierre) and Paul Fourdrinier. Peter/Pierre is now seen to be a fictitious individual resulting from an accidental misnaming of Paul. Paul Fourdrinier is mentioned as the engraver of some of the works listed above, and he has been identified with the Paul Fourdrinier who was of the parish of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, married to Susanna Grolleau, and who died in January or February 1758. The couple had at least five children, including a son Henry Fourdrinier, whose daughter, or granddaughter, Jemima Fourdrinier was the mother of Cardinal John Henry Newman...
Category
Mid-18th Century Antique British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
British Arts & Crafts Minton Tile Plateau
Located in New York, NY
British Arts & Crafts Minton tile plateau, rectangular with a carved egg-and-dart modeled frame on bun feet, centering three turquoise and green-glazed flo...
Category
Mid-20th Century British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Wood
Antique Francois Grenier Mixed Media 3D "Tiger Hunt" Collage La Chasse au Tigre
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique mixed-media enhanced engraving artwork attributed to Francois Grenier. François GRENIER b. 1793-1867. This work features a hunting scene from India, framed shadowbox style, signed in stone lower left and titled on backside. La Chasse au Tigre translates to (Tiger Chase or Tiger Hunt...
Category
Early 19th Century Antique British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Organic Material, Paper
Antique Set of Nine Framed Pen and Ink Navel Sailing Ships
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Set of nine antique drawings of American and English Navel Sailing ships executed in a pen and ink technique highlighted with watercolor, matted and presented in mahogany frames behi...
Category
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Decorative Art
Materials
Paint
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Large Pressed Botanical Framed under Glass from Sweden
Located in Austin, TX
A handsome large Swedish decorative pressed botanical, circa 1940, featuring six herbal plants mounted to a matted board in a square wooden frame under glass.
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Set of Ten Framed American Botanical Specimens
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Mezzotint by John Martin, the Judgment of the Almighty, Sangster, circa 1850
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
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9 Antique 18th & 19th Century Hard Back Leather Bound Books London England
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- 1822 - The History of England; From the Revolution in 1688 to the Death of George II. Designed as a Continuation of Hume. - By T. Smollett, M.D. - A New Edition, in Five Volumes. - Volume I – Printed by J.F. Dove, London, etc.
- 1824 - St. Ronan’s Well – by Sir Walter Scott – In Three Volumes – Volume III – Printed for Archibald Constable & Co, Edinburgh, etc.
- 1831 – American Ornithology; or the Natural History of the Birds of the United States – by Alexander Wilson and Charles Lucien Bonaparte – Edited by Robert Jameson, Esq. etc. - In Four Volumes – Volume III – Printed for Constable and Co, Edinburgh, etc.
- 1843 - The Poetical Works of William Cowper Volume II – William Pickering, London
- 1862 – The Natural History of Selborne – by the Late Rev. Gilbert White...
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Previously Available Items
Antique Meet at Blagdon Hand Colored Fox Hunt Engraving Snow Lurton
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique 19th century hand colored engraving titled The Meet at Blagdon, original painted by J.W. Snow, engraved by Thomas Lurton. Features an English equestrian landscape fox hunt sc...
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19th Century Antique British Colonial Decorative Art
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Vintage Jim Thompson English Maritime Realist Harbor Seascape Oil Painting
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Late 20th Century British Colonial Decorative Art
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Collection of 40 Swedish 20th Century Leather-Bound Books
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A collection of 40 Swedish decorative antique leather-bound library books.
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Early 20th Century Swedish British Colonial Decorative Art
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Collection of 46 Swedish 20th Century Leather-Bound Books
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A collection of 46 Swedish decorative antique leather-bound library books.
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Early 20th Century Swedish British Colonial Decorative Art
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Steamship Painting Kronprinzessin Cecilie
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The twin-screw express mail steamer Kronprinzessss Cecilie was a passenger ship of Norddeutscher Lloyd, Bremen, named after Cecilie von Mecklenburg-Schwerin. As the wife of Wilhelm o...
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Pair of Framed English Wax Seals
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Located in Haddonfield, NJ
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British Colonial decorative art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique British Colonial decorative art for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage decorative art created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include wall decorations, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with paper, animal skin and other materials. If you’re shopping for used British Colonial decorative art made in a specific country, there are Europe, Scandinavia, and Sweden pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original decorative art, popular names associated with this style include and Francis Grant. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for decorative art differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $235 and tops out at $6,900 while the average work can sell for $850.
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