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Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Americana and Folk Art (UNITED STATES, CA. 18th C.–20th C.)
Americana and Folk Art (UNITED STATES, CA. 18th C.–20th C.)

Though the pieces are timeless, folk art emerged as a collecting genre only in the 1920s. Then as now, collectors focused on American artifacts. The earliest were prompted in part by the awareness of a nation changed: in that decade, for the first time the majority of U.S. citizens lived in cities, rather than on farms and in small towns. At the same time, the ascendance of modernism in art and design was countered by promoters of the Colonial Revival style. That movement drew from attics and barns old hand-carved furniture, stilted 19th-century family portraits, weathervanes and butter churns.

The best folk art items were purchased by an odd mix that included bohemians and intellectuals, along with J.P. Morgan and members of the Chrysler and Rockefeller families (who began funding, for instance, the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia in the 1920s). If nostalgia played a role, the primary motivation for folk art collectors was — as it is today — a recognition of the artistic merit and cultural significance of pure, honest expressions of the human impulse toward beauty.

Simplicity is its hallmark, yet folk art defies a simple definition — and covers a vast amount of ground. Folk art has been called "the art of the everyday": objects created by people, with no formal training in the arts, for use in their daily lives. These include everything from tools and toys to quilts, baskets, jugs, dowry chests and duck decoys. Folk art is generally made by hand; works might be carved, sewn, chiseled, knitted, hammered, woven or embroidered and more. Such techniques were passed down through the generations — one reason folk-art collecting has been described as "a kind of archaeology." Folk art reveals the inherent values and traditions of a community, through time-honored crafts, decorative motifs and pictorial subject matter.

All folk art intrinsically reflects a sense of pride. "Americana" is folk art that does so overtly:  through work that honors civic ideals and celebrates national and local achievements. Americana includes flags, bunting, carved bald eagles, and needlework with allegorical figures representing Liberty and Democracy; or helmets and buckets used by a volunteer fire brigade; or the trappings of fraternal organizations such as the Oddfellows. Collectors of Americana typically also collect American antique furniture that, while made in the workshops of a master cabinetmaker or joiner, reflects regional stylistic traits, tastes and quirks.

Almost all folk art is anonymous — and the prominent exception being signed work by early 19th-century itinerant portrait artists like the New Englander Ammi Phillips, whose 1835 portrait of a young girl and her pets was the first piece of folk art to sell for $1 million at auction. Until relatively recently, work by Phillips and his ilk was the prime focus of folk art collectors: the folk art of the Northeast defined the category. But recently, more attention and more scholarship have been devoted to the folk art of other regions: to the South, and the artwork of enslaved African Americans and their descendants; and to the Southwestern and early Latino folk art. Born in a time of change, folk art collecting is changing along with the nation.

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Pair of American Brass Intertwined Dolphin & Ship Andirons. Circa 1840
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American brass andirons with perched flanking ships, intertwined dolphins, matching finial log stops , and resting on rectangular plinths. Mid -19th Century.
Category

1840s American American Empire Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass, Wrought Iron

American Poplar Greek Key & Sunburst Fire Place Mantel . Circa 1820
Located in Hollywood, SC
American fire place mantel made of poplar with Greek key motif and carved corner sunburst supported by turned column legs. All original . Early 19th ...
Category

1820s American American Empire Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Poplar, Wood

Pair of American Brass Urn Finial Andirons with Spur Legs & Ball Feet, C 1810 MA
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American brass urn finial andirons with turned ringed plinths, curvature rear legs, matching urn finial turned ringed log stops, and resting on double spur legs with ball fee...
Category

1810s American American Colonial Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass, Wrought Iron

Pair of American Brass Monumental Empire Andirons
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American brass monumental Empire andirons with scrolled legs and original matching log stops. Dealers please call for trade price.
Category

19th Century American Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass

American Mission Style Wrought Iron Log Holder
Located in New York, NY
American Mission-style (19/20th Century) wrought iron log holder magazine rack with a scroll design sides.
Category

19th Century American Mission Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Wrought Iron

American Wire and Brass Fire Fender
Located in Hollywood, SC
American wire and brass fire fender with pleassing wire work and ball finials.
Category

18th Century and Earlier American Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Pair of American Andirons
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American brass andirons with urn top finial, urn finial log stop, and hand chased acorn & oak leaf motif
Category

19th Century American Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Pair of Bradley and Hubbard American Country Wrought Iron Andirons
By Bradley & Hubbard
Located in New York, NY
Pair of American Country (19th Century) wrought iron andirons with sunburst and face design (BRADLEY & HUBBARD) (PRICED AS Pair)
Category

19th Century American Rustic Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Wrought Iron

American White Pine Carved Molded Edge Fire Place Mantel, Circa 1800
Located in Hollywood, SC
American White Pine fire place mantel with carved molded edges, one board back, and rectangular carved vertical legs with squared plinths . Early 19th Century . Fire Box Dim. 40" Tall / 40.5" Wide...
Category

Early 1800s American American Colonial Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Pine

Large Bronze Architectural Plaque from New York City
Located in Los Angeles, CA
From the National American Building, formerly located at 340 Madison Avenue, New York City. This building was constructed in 1927 and was designed by the renowned architect Joseph H....
Category

Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Revival Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Bronze

Pair of American Wrought Iron & Brass Urn Finial Andirons . Circa 1780
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American wrought iron andirons with brass urn finial tops, scrolled decorative spit hook , and terminating on penny feet. Column...
Category

1780s American American Colonial Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass, Wrought Iron

Pair of American Wrought Iron Shield Andirons with Decorative Crossbar, C. 1820
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American wrought iron spiral ball finial andirons with flanking medallion shields supporting hanging finial chains, scrolled spit hooks, decorative centered spiral crossbar, ...
Category

1820s American American Empire Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Iron, Wrought Iron

American Bronze and Wrought Iron Fire Fender
Located in Hollywood, SC
American wrought iron fire fender with bronze fluted finial balls & twisted pulls, centered birdcage decorative bar, and surmounted by scrolle...
Category

19th Century American Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Pair of American Mission Monumental Wrought Iron Andirons
Located in New York, NY
Pair of American Mission-style (19/20th Century) monumental wrought iron andirons with basket tops and a detachable swivel kettle holder. (PRICED AS Pair)
Category

19th Century American Mission Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Wrought Iron

Set of American Brass and Polished Steel Tools on Marble Stand. Circa 1830
Located in Hollywood, SC
Set of American brass and polished steel tools on marble stand. Set includes shovel, tongs, and poker.
Category

19th Century American Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Pair of Samuel Yellin Italian Renaissance Wrought Iron Andirons
By Samuel Yellin
Located in New York, NY
Pair of Italian Renaissance-style wrought iron andirons with an upper and lower spike & basket design with open scroll base & griffins supporting a cross bar (Attributed to SAMUEL YE...
Category

19th Century American Renaissance Revival Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Wrought Iron

Pair of American Nickel Silver and Bronze Medallion Andirons. 19th Century
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American Nickel silver, polished steel, and bronze tulip medallion andirons with dog legs and stylized penny feet. 19th Century
Category

19th Century American American Craftsman Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Pair of American Brass Andirons Signed E. Smylie ( New York )
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American brass andirons with faceted finial tops, resting on turned bulbous legs, with matching faceted finial log stops. Signed E. S...
Category

19th Century American Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Pair of American Acorn Top Andirons. Philadelphia, Circa 1800
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American acorn top andirons with turned faceted plinths, terminating on double spur legs with ball feet. Philadelphia, Circa 1800
Category

19th Century American Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Pair of Art Nouveau Iron Andirons
Located in New York, NY
Pair of American Art Nouveau iron andirons with foliate finials over a fluted design. (PRICED AS Pair)
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Iron

Pair of American Victorian Oak Saloon Doors
Located in New York, NY
2 PairS of American Victorian oak full length saloon doors with bevelled glass center (PRICED PER Pair)
Category

19th Century American Victorian Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass

Pair of American Lemon Top Andirons Boston, Howes Co.
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American bell brass lemon top andirons with turned rounded squared plinths, matching finial lemon log stops, and terminating on spurred legs...
Category

18th Century and Earlier American Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

American Regency Whippet Fireplace Surround
Located in Hollywood, SC
American Regency Tin and Iron fireplace surround with floral molded edge, centered floral filigree, and terminating on opposing whippet plinth base. B...
Category

19th Century Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

An American Carved Walnut Stand
Located in Sheffield, MA
An American Carved Walnut Stand With Marble Top Mid 19th Century The circular top carved with foliage with a marble insert on a tripod base ending in scrolled feet Height 34 in. ...
Category

19th Century American Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Walnut

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Pair of Chenets or Andirons with a Decorative Eagle Finial Top, 19th Century
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