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Chicago - Folk Art

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Item Ships From: Chicago
Tongue-in-Cheek Mounted Kuba Cloth Panel
Located in Chicago, IL
A provocative late 20th century Kuba cloth panel with a bold zigzag and diamond pattern woven in black and natural cut pile raffia surrounding a tongu...
Category

Late 20th Century Congolese Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Raffia

Chinese Gilt Ancestor Figure, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
An integral part of traditional Chinese home life, ancestor worship before a domestic altar often featured painted ancestral portraits or tabletop ancestor figure...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood, Lacquer

20th Century Sleeping Canada Goose Decoy
Located in Chicago, IL
A beautiful 20th century American life-size sleeping Canada Goose decoy with its original paint, a removable head and neck, and glass eyes, on a cu...
Category

20th Century American Country Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Beaded Ndebele Ceremonial Doll
Located in Chicago, IL
A rare imported commodity, glass beads have been a symbol of wealth and importance in south African cultures for centuries, and were exclusively distributed by the region's oba (king). As beads become gradually more accessible throughout the 19th century, they began to displace the organic materials used in traditional art and attire. This colorful example of African beadwork is a ceremonial doll...
Category

Late 20th Century South African Folk Art Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Cotton, Wood

Set of Three Beaded Ndebele Fertility Dolls
Located in Chicago, IL
A rare imported commodity, glass beads have been a symbol of wealth and importance in south African cultures for centuries, and were exclusively distributed by the region's oba (king). As beads become gradually more accessible throughout the 19th century, they began to displace the organic materials used in traditional art and attire. This colorful example of African beadwork...
Category

20th Century South African Folk Art Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Cotton, Wood

1950s "Prince Buddah" Circus Sideshow Banner
Located in Chicago, IL
1950s "Prince Buddah" circus sideshow banner.
Category

1950s American Folk Art Vintage Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Iron

1950s Hand-Painted Olympia Beer Advertising Sign
Located in Chicago, IL
Oversized 1950s hand-painted advertising sign for Olympia Beer.
Category

1950s North American Folk Art Vintage Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Tibetan Saddle Carpet with Floral Medallions, c. 1930
Located in Chicago, IL
This unusually-shaped carpet is known as a "makden" and was originally used by a nomadic traveler as an artful covering for his horse. Placed between the saddle and the horse, the makden cushioned the rigid saddle and kept the horse warm in cold climates. Most under-saddle carpets...
Category

Early 20th Century Tibetan Tibetan Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Fabric, Wool

1950s American Hand-Painted Carnival Ride Panel
Located in Chicago, IL
1950s American hand-painted carnival ride panel.
Category

1950s North American Primitive Vintage Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Mirror, Wood

Antique Saddle Carpet with Peonies, c. 1920s
Located in Chicago, IL
This unusually-shaped carpet is known as a "makden" and was originally used by a nomadic traveler as an artful covering for his horse. Placed between the saddle and the horse, the makden cushioned the rigid saddle and kept the horse warm in cold climates. Most under-saddle carpets...
Category

1920s East Turkestani Vintage Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Fabric, Wool

Yoruba Egungun Headdress Mask
By Yoruba People
Located in Chicago, IL
Attributed to the Yoruba people of western Nigeria, this wooden headdress was worn during a masquerade known as egungun. A widespread Yoruba ritual, egungun performances honor a comm...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Gigantic Original German Steiff Mohair Elk "Studio Animal" c1960s Five Feet Long
Located in Chicago, IL
Life-sized, mohair Steiff Elk, probably from the 1960s. Steiff referred to these life-size stuffed creatures as, “studio animals” and were very expensive when new. As I child, we wou...
Category

1960s German Vintage Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Mohair, Wool

Hansa Mechanical Huge Stuffed Hippopotamus Almost 4 Feet Long
Located in Chicago, IL
Hansa plush mechanical Stuffed Hippopotamus Hansa was created in 1972 by German-born Hans Axthelm. Each and every Hansa stuffed Hippopotamus animal, is hand sewn using the inside-ou...
Category

1980s Philippine Vintage Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Acrylic

Antique Gold Leaf Black Sign "Gebhardt Park "
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique gold leaf sign Gebhardt Park. Framed in original wood frame.
Category

Early 1900s North American Folk Art Antique Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Chinese Folk Carved Panel, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Dated to the 19th century, this flat wooden panel is curiously etched with geometric patterns, simple leaf motifs, and a triangle-work border. Its original use remains unknown - perh...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

1950s Light Up Double Sided Beer Mug Yellow Sign
Located in Chicago, IL
1950's light up double sided beer mug sign. It works.
Category

1950s North American Folk Art Vintage Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Metal

Large 19th Century Wooden Mortar
Located in Chicago, IL
A large 19th century Central American wooden mortar with a beautifully hand-hewn texture and a well worn finish. Mortars like these were used to crush grains, spices, herbs, and othe...
Category

19th Century Central American Tribal Antique Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Ethiopian Milk Vessel
Located in Chicago, IL
The Borana Oromo people of southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya are historically a cattle-keeping culture, and each household keeps a number of traditional vessels for storing and ch...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ethiopian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Other

1900s Hand Carved Scotsman Tobacco Store Panel
Located in Chicago, IL
1900s hand carved scotsman tobacco store panel.
Category

Early 1900s British Antique Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Early 20th Century American Folk Art Rooster Weathervane
Located in Chicago, IL
A charming early 20th American Folk Art carved pine rooster weathervane with a wonderful silhouette with a large tail, applied wings, and copper legs all supported by an iron rod wit...
Category

Early 20th Century American Folk Art Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Pine

African Kenyan Bells with 3 Kisi Metal Tally Sticks / Provenance Douglas Dawson
Located in Chicago, IL
African Kenyan bells with 3 Kisi metal tally sticks provenance Douglas Dawson. Came from the Goldberg Family Collection. Dims are of a single bell.
Category

19th Century African Antique Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Metal

Mounted Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
Located in Chicago, IL
An incredible and rare mid-20th century Dida hand-plated Shibori tie-dyed raffia ceremonial kerchief mounted on a linen stretched board that floats off the wall in the shape of the k...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Raffia

Early 20th Century French Naval Battleship Training Models
Located in Chicago, IL
A rare set of early 20th century cast lead French Naval battleship training models used by servicemen in identifying ships from the air. We had a custom steel plate made for display ...
Category

Early 20th Century French Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Lead

Pende-Style Antelope Mask
Located in Chicago, IL
Masks from the Pende people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are considered some of the most dramatic works of African art. The Pende have defined an extensive range of mask forms, many with distinct characters embodied during ritual ceremony. Colored by red and white pigments, this Pende mask...
Category

Mid-20th Century Congolese Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Early 20th Century American Folk Art Bush Plane Model on Custom Mount
Located in Chicago, IL
A wonderful and charming early 20th century American bush plane model constructed with painted canvas stretched over a wooden skeleton, and mounted on a custom steel mount.
Category

1940s American Folk Art Vintage Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood

African Incised Copper Currency Anklet, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Time honored texture and form define this Nigerian copper sculptural object. The intricate geometry was achieved through a process known as scarification. The artisan would meticulou...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Copper

Bamun Copper Necklace
Located in Chicago, IL
Composed of fifteen miniature heads welded onto a circular form, this intricate necklace is styled after the prestige collars worn by royalty of the Kingdom of Bamum, a pre-colonial ...
Category

20th Century Cameroonian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Metal

Chinese Folk Carved Panel, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Dated to the 19th century, this flat wooden panel is curiously etched with geometric patterns and dense triangle-work. Its original use remains unknown, perhaps it was a divination t...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Yoruba Four Headed Egungun Headdress
By Yoruba People
Located in Chicago, IL
This wooden headdress was created by the Yoruba People of western Nigeria, and was worn during a masquerade known as egungun. A widespread Yoruba ritual, egungun performances honor a...
Category

Mid-20th Century Nigerian Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Jim Rose Barn House Structure, Welded Steel Object Made with Salvaged Steel
By Jim Rose
Located in Chicago, IL
This is a welded steel sculpture made by furniture creator Jim Rose. It is sustainable design created from salvaged and recycled steel panels left over from his larger projects. These sculptures reference traditional American Folk Art barn house models or bird houses. This sculpture works alone on a shelf or table or can be grouped with other house sculptures by the artist. Each house sculpture is unique in design and color. Jim Rose Structure #168 found steel with natural rust patina and paint 6h x 4.50w x 2.50d in 15.24h x 11.43w x 6.35d cm Jim Rose b. 1966 Bio Born in Indiana, Jim Rose lived in Europe until he returned to the United States to attend college. After one year at Bard College, Jim transferred to the School of the Art Institute in Chicago (SAIC) where he graduated in 1988 with a BFA. His skillful interpretation of the Shaker design is a result of intense research and field study of Shaker furniture, architecture, culture and history. After over two decades of dedicated work, he has mastered the minimalism of the Shaker technique and created his own unique visual vernacular. The quilts of Gee's Bend have become a monumental influence taking this artist's work to new levels of unique interpretation and artistry. His selection of aged steel results in a patina directly related to that of aged wood while his colored strips beautifully mimic worn cloth. Each piece of furniture is masterfully made and intended for daily use. Jim Rose’s steel furniture is featured every year at SOFA Chicago for the past 25 years. Jim Rose b. 1966, Wisconsin Education 1989 B.F.A., Sculpture, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL 1988 Student at Large, Welding Technology, Triton College, Chicago, IL 1985 Undergraduate Photography Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York Awards 2008 Wisconsin Arts Board Fellowship Award, Madison, WI 2005 Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA 2003 Grant Recipient for Shaker Interpretations in Cast Iron, PA Arts Assoc / WI Arts Board 2003 Arts/Industry Residency Program for Visual Artists, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin Solo Exhibitions 2017 New Work, Tory Folliard Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2012 Simply Steel, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI 2007 Variation, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2003 New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2001 Shaker in Steel / New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2000 Shaker in Steel / New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1999 Hands and Heart to Steel III, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL National Exhibitions 2017-2018 SOFA Chicago – Gallery Victor Armendariz 2016 - 1995 SOFA Chicago, New York, Palm Beach - Ann Nathan Gallery 2011 - 2002 Art Chicago - Ann Nathan Gallery Group Exhibitions 2017 Coming Attractions: Inaugural Exhibition, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2017 Living with Art: The Newman Collection, 108 Contemporary, Tulsa, Oklahoma 2016 Form Follows Function: The Intersection of Art and Craft, The Hardy Gallery...
Category

2010s American Folk Art Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Steel

Set of Five Iron Phallus Fertility Figures
Located in Chicago, IL
A wonderful set of five early 20th century iron phallus figures from Togo. Fertility figures like these were planted in the ground of a farmer's fiel...
Category

Early 20th Century Togolese Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Iron

Studded African Mask by Brian Stanziale
By Brian Stanziale
Located in Chicago, IL
In an exclusive collaboration with Pagoda Red, Chicago artist the bms. adds a contemporary twist to our collection of one-of-a-kind African art objects. Embellishing with silver and ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary African Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Metal

Kirdi Leather Shield on Custom Wall Mount
Located in Chicago, IL
A wonderfully sculptural Kirdi leather shield from Cameroon, with a beautiful geometric pattern that's been 'stamped' into the leather resulting a raise...
Category

20th Century Cameroonian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Leather

Yoruba Painted Veranda Post
Located in Chicago, IL
Hand carved with a figurative design, this TOTEM-like wooden post was crafted by an artisan of the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria. Resembling the tall houseposts used to support the roof of a home, this shorter post would have been placed on a veranda courtyard as a symbolic and decorative element and did not bear weight. This veranda post...
Category

Mid-20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Chinese Bent Handle Fisherman's Basket, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Basket making is an ancient and humble craft, but in the hands of a skilled weaver a simple willow basket can become a truly beautiful work of art. This bent handle basket was made i...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Rustic Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Bentwood, Willow

African Nupe Terracotta Vessel Support, c. 1900
By Nupe
Located in Chicago, IL
The Nupe people of Nigeria were touted as some of the finest ceramicists in Africa. Everyday objects, like this elegant, cylindrical vessel support, received detailed attention. This flaring terra cotta form would have been buried halfway in the ground, in a Nupe home, and used as a stable base for a stack of traditional round pots...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Terracotta

Mounted 19th Century Afo Iron Currency
Located in Chicago, IL
A fantastic 19th century Afo culture wrought iron spade currency piece mounted on custom steel stand. Currency pieces like these were used for large purchases including land or lives...
Category

19th Century Nigerian Tribal Antique Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Iron

African Bura Stone Funerary Marker
Located in Chicago, IL
This abstract stone sculpture is a funerary marker of the Bura people of the Niger/Mali region. Little is known about the Bura civilization (c. 200 to 1000 AD), but it shares many of...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Nigerien Primitive Antique Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Stone

Yoruba Beaded Sash, c. 1950
Located in Chicago, IL
This intricately-constructed colorful train was painstakingly created by Yoruba artisans in Nigeria in the mid-20th century. Recent designs such as this were based upon sashes that s...
Category

Mid-20th Century Nigerian Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Shell, Fabric, Beads

Pair of Tamberma Shields on Stands
Located in Chicago, IL
A pair of wonderfully sculptural early 20th century handwoven wicker shields from the Tamberma people of Togo, mounted on custom steel stands.
Category

Early 20th Century Togolese Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wicker

19th Century American Ball of String Holder
Located in Chicago, IL
A whimsical 19th century American string holder in shape of a ball of string. The weight of the holder keeps it in place, but opens up when picked up. We have a similar one in our ki...
Category

19th Century American Country Antique Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Iron

Chinese Split Bamboo Headrest, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Crafted from lengths of split bamboo, this headrest enabled contour comfort, quite luxurious for 19th century, China. Lightweight and low-profile, it was the perfect accessory for a ...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Bamboo

Metallic Studded Bambara Figure by Brian Stanziale
By Brian Stanziale
Located in Chicago, IL
In an exclusive collaboration with pagoda red, Chicago artist the bms. adds a contemporary twist to our collection of one-of-a-kind African art objects. Guided by its geometric line work, the bms. uses...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Malian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Metal

African Yoruba Painted Gelede Headdress
Located in Chicago, IL
This painted mask was created by the Yoruba People of western Nigeria, and was worn during a tradition known as Gelede. A blend of ritual and artistic spectacle, Gelede pays homage to the women of their Community, understood to possess spiritual powers capable of the benefit or the destruction of society. The Gelede masquerade is an opportunity to honor or condemn behaviors within the Community, through dance, art, satire, and poetry. Worn by veiled dancers, Gelede masks...
Category

Mid-20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Early 20th Century American Folk Art Birdhouse
Located in Chicago, IL
A whimsical early 20th century American Folk Art purple Martin pine birdhouse with two levels, eight entrances, and a wonderfully shingled roof and weath...
Category

Early 20th Century American Folk Art Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Pine

African Luba Mboko Vessel, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Receiving guidance from tribal ancestors was a central aspect of the Luba people's spiritual practices. This ceramic spiritually significant vessel is topped with a crossed leg figure whose head has an opening critical for a divination ritual. Known as an mboko, this handled vessel would have been filled with items like antelope horns, shells, dried beetles, human teeth...
Category

Early 20th Century Congolese Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Ceramic

Bidjogo Tribal Initiation Ox Mask, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
After oxen were introduced to Guinea Bissau by Portuguese sailors in the 15th century, its strength, aggression, and nobility quickly became integrated i...
Category

Early 20th Century Guinea-Bissauan Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Hide, Wood

African Redware Gooseneck Vase
Located in Chicago, IL
Covered in a beautifully worn red clay slip, this hand-formed African vessel has a dramatic silhouette of a squat, ovoid body and a long, narrow neck. Subtly etched crosshatch patter...
Category

15th Century and Earlier African Primitive Antique Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Ceramic

Early 20th Century Oak Splint Basket
Located in Chicago, IL
A wonderful early 20th century hand-woven oak splint gathering basket with a single bent oak handle, a double banded rim, and a lovely wonky shape. Found in Wisconsin.
Category

Early 20th Century American Folk Art Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Oak

Yoruba Omo Bell, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This four-sided brass face bell, known as omo, was created by an artisan of the Ijebu Yoruba People of Southern Nigeria. A mark of the wearer's rank and power, the bell would have be...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Metal

"Embrace" Luba Headrest Sculpture
Located in Chicago, IL
The Luba people of Zaire believed that ancestors visited them through dreams. This belief led to elaborately worked headrests, known as "seats of dreams." Such headrests were used to...
Category

Mid-20th Century Congolese Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Yoruba Beaded Sash, c. 1950
Located in Chicago, IL
This intricately-constructed colorful train was painstakingly created by Yoruba artisans in Nigeria in the mid-20th century. Recent designs such as this were based upon...
Category

Mid-20th Century Nigerian Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Shell, Fabric, Beads

Baga a-Bamp Bird Headdress with Canoe
Located in Chicago, IL
This graceful sculpture of a long-necked bird is a headdress known as "a-Bamp," worn during ritual masquerades of Baga adolescents in Guinea. With strong themes of defiance, these ma...
Category

Mid-20th Century Guinean Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Senufo Copper Reeds Currency Bracelet, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
The traditional form of the Senufo currency bracelet is stripped down in this more minimalistic version. Two gracefully upswept bands join to form a ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Nigerian Antique Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Copper

"A + L" Car & Jacket by Patrick Fitzgerald
By Patrick Fitzgerald
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based artist Patrick Fitzgerald uses his works as a means of resurrecting the idyllic worlds he once found in the Industrial surroundings of his youth. Raised in Grand Rapids...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Industrial Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Wood, Paper

Nigerian Nupe Vessel Support
By Nupe
Located in Chicago, IL
The Nupe people of Nigeria were touted as some of the finest ceramicists in Africa. Everyday objects like this elegant, cylindrical vessel support received detailed attention. This f...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Primitive Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Terracotta

Djerma Painted Water Vessel
Located in Chicago, IL
The Djerma people of Niger are well-known for their gracefully shaped and delicately painted water containers. The surface paintings are applied after firing with all natural pigment...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerien Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Terracotta

Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
Located in Chicago, IL
An incredible and rare mid-20th century Dida (Ivory Coast) hand-plated Shibori tie-dyed raffia ceremonial kerchief mounted on a linen stretched frame. This kerchief was not woven on ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Chicago - Folk Art

Materials

Raffia

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