Art Mediums
Art mediums are the materials and tools artists use to create their work—such as paint, ink, clay, metal, fabric, or digital software. Each medium offers its own textures, techniques, and expressive possibilities, shaping how an artwork is made and experienced. From traditional oil painting to contemporary installations, the choice of medium is a crucial part of an artist’s creative voice.
Altars
Sacred or symbolic structures used for spiritual or ritual purposes, often intricately decorated and culturally significant.
Antiquities
Objects of historical and archaeological value, typically from ancient civilizations, collected for their artistic and cultural heritage.
Architectural and Garden Elements
Decorative or functional components from buildings or outdoor spaces, such as columns, gates, or sculptures, often repurposed as art.
Architectural Properties
Entire architectural structures or significant fragments used as installations or design elements in artistic and exhibition contexts.
Armchairs, Club Chairs
Stylized or vintage seating pieces that blur the line between design, utility, and collectible craftsmanship.
Arms, Armor, Militaria
Historical or decorative weapons and armor, often reflecting craftsmanship, symbolism, or historical context.
Basins, Fountains
Sculptural water elements or carved basins, used in both functional and aesthetic roles in art or garden design.
Baskets
Handwoven vessels, often crafted using traditional techniques, celebrated for their form, pattern, and cultural relevance.
Beds and Daybeds
Furnishings that, when artistically crafted or historically significant, serve as collectible or conceptual art objects.
Benches
Functional seating that can be elevated to art through design, material, or context, often used in public art installations.
Bookcases
Storage structures that, when crafted artistically, serve as design pieces or part of conceptual art reflecting on knowledge and space.
Books
Printed or handmade volumes that become art through illustration, binding, narrative, or conceptual approach (artist books, rare editions, etc.).
Books and Ephemera
Printed materials including pamphlets, posters, postcards, and other short-lived or collectible items that offer cultural, historical, or aesthetic value.
Books, Maps, Manuscripts
Handwritten or printed documents and charts that are valued for their historical importance, calligraphy, illustration, or rarity.
Bottles, Jars, Flasks
Glass or ceramic containers that become art objects through design, form, and craftsmanship—often collected for their antique or decorative qualities.
Bowls
Functional vessels used in both traditional and contemporary art, often showcasing design, glazing techniques, and cultural motifs.
Boxes
Decorative or functional containers, made from various materials, often intricately crafted, painted, or carved.
Bracelets
Wearable artworks created with metal, beads, textiles, or other materials, reflecting personal expression or cultural identity.
Brooches, Pins
Jewelry pieces designed to fasten or decorate clothing—often used to showcase fine metalwork, gemstones, or symbolic imagery.
Busts
Sculptures depicting the head, neck, and upper shoulders of a person—frequently created in bronze, marble, or resin as portraiture or symbolic figures.
Cabinets
Functional furniture that doubles as design art—used to display, store, and organize while often serving as a canvas for artistic craftsmanship.
Candlesticks, Candelabras
Objects designed to hold candles—celebrated for their form, decorative detail, and historical or religious significance.
Case Piece
Larger furniture items like credenzas or armoires that combine function with artisan design, often a centerpiece in decorative arts.
Ceiling Lights
Suspended lighting fixtures that range from minimalist design to ornate craftsmanship, blending art with functionality.
Centerpieces
Decorative focal points for tables or spaces, often seasonal or event-based, incorporating sculpture, floral design, or found objects.
Ceramics
Objects made from clay and hardened by heat—ranging from utilitarian pottery to high-concept contemporary sculpture.
Chaises Lounges
Elegant reclining chairs that serve both comfort and style, often considered design classics and collectible interior art pieces.
Chandeliers
Ornate hanging light fixtures made from glass, crystal, or metal, often reflecting luxury and high craftsmanship in interior art.
Chests of Drawers, Commodes
Storage furniture that reflects artistic design in woodwork, metal, or paint—valued for both functionality and aesthetics.
Chests, Trunks
Storage pieces traditionally used for travel or safekeeping, often valued for their craftsmanship, materials, and historical character.
Clocks and Watches
Timekeeping objects that combine mechanical precision with artistic design, ranging from functional antiques to sculptural statement pieces.
Coffee, Low Tables
Low-profile tables designed for living spaces, often appreciated as design objects that blend functionality with aesthetic form.
Coins, Stamps, Seals
Small collectible items of historical, cultural, or artistic significance, often reflecting political, social, or economic narratives.
Consoles, Pier Tables
Narrow tables typically placed against walls or between windows, prized for decorative detailing and architectural elegance.
Costume, Clothing, Fashion
Garments and wearable pieces considered art forms, reflecting cultural identity, craftsmanship, and creative expression.
Decorative Objects
Standalone artistic or ornamental items created primarily for visual interest rather than functional use.
Decorative Pictures
Wall-mounted works such as framed images, panels, or mixed-media pieces designed to enhance interior spaces.
Design
Objects and works where artistic creativity intersects with functionality, including furniture, industrial design, and contemporary craft.
Desk and Writing Accessories
Functional items such as inkwells, pen holders, and letter trays, elevated through design, materials, and craftsmanship.
Desks, Work Tables
Furniture designed for writing or working, often collectible for their construction, materials, and aesthetic presence.
Dining, Center Tables
Primary dining tables that serve as both functional furniture and central design elements within a space.
Dining, Side Chairs
Seating designed for dining settings, often reflecting stylistic movements and fine craftsmanship.
Doors, Gates, Balustrades
Architectural elements repurposed or preserved as art objects, valued for their structure, ornamentation, and historical context.
Drinking Vessels
Cups, goblets, and related forms created in glass, ceramic, or metal, combining utility with artistic design.
Earrings
Wearable art pieces designed for personal adornment, often crafted with attention to form, material, and cultural symbolism.
Embroideries, Samplers
Textile works created through stitching techniques, traditionally used for decoration, storytelling, or skill demonstration.
Figures, Figurines
Small sculptural representations of humans, animals, or symbolic forms, often used for decorative or narrative purposes.
Figures, Figurines, Sculpture, Carvings
Three-dimensional works crafted by shaping or carving materials, encompassing decorative, symbolic, and fine art traditions.
Figures, Statuettes
Compact sculptural objects, often detailed and expressive, created for display or collection.
Film, Video
Time-based visual art forms using moving images, sound, and narrative or conceptual frameworks.
Floor Lamps, Torchieres
Freestanding lighting pieces that merge illumination with sculptural and design elements.
Funerary Objects
Artistic or symbolic items associated with burial or memorial practices, reflecting cultural beliefs and rituals surrounding death.
Glass
Artworks made primarily from glass through techniques such as blowing, casting, or fusing; valued for color, transparency, and form.
Incense Burners
Objects designed to hold and burn incense; often decorative and ceremonial, reflecting cultural or spiritual traditions.
Installation
Large‑scale, site‑specific works that transform a space and create immersive experiences for the viewer.
Jewelry
Wearable art pieces crafted from metals, gemstones, beads, or mixed media, often with artistic and cultural significance.
Lace, Silk
Textile materials and works emphasizing fine craftsmanship and delicate patterns, used in decorative or sculptural contexts.
Lighting
Functional yet artistic fixtures designed to illuminate space while contributing to aesthetic and ambient qualities.
Masks
Wearable or display pieces, often ceremonial or symbolic, representing cultural, spiritual, or artistic narratives.
Mirror
Reflective surfaces that are both functional and decorative; often incorporated into art to explore perception and space.
Necklaces, Pendants
Artistic neck adornments created with metals, stones, beads, or mixed media, reflecting design and personal expression.
New Media
Art made using digital technologies, video, interactive platforms, virtual environments, or computer‑generated systems.
Occasional
Objects created for specific events, celebrations, or rites, often with cultural or ceremonial importance.
Other Furnishings
Various furniture pieces or functional objects that don’t fit traditional categories, valued for design and artistic craftsmanship.
Ottomans, Poufs
Soft, upholstered seating or footstools valued for form, texture, color, and interior art design.
Paintings
Two‑dimensional works created on surfaces such as canvas, wood, or paper using paints, pigments, or mixed media.
Performance
Time‑based artistic expression involving live action, movement, sound, or interaction; often ephemeral and conceptual.
Photographs
Captured images produced through photographic processes, documenting, interpreting, or reimagining subjects.
Pictures, Wallpapers, Mirrors, Frames
Visual display items including framed art, decorative wall coverings, and mirrors that contribute to interior aesthetics.
Pitchers, Jugs, Ewers
Pouring vessels that combine functional form with artistic design, often collected for their aesthetic qualities.
Posters
Printed graphic designs created for public display, combining text and image to communicate artistic, cultural, or promotional messages.
Prints and Multiples
Artworks produced in editions through printmaking processes (etching, lithography, screenprint) or cast multiples.
Quilts, Blankets
Textile works made of layered fabrics and stitching, appreciated for pattern, texture, and cultural or historical context.
Reliefs, Plaques
Works in which sculpted elements remain attached to a background plane (reliefs) or flat commemorative panels (plaques).
Religious and Ceremonial Objects
Sacred or ritual items used in spiritual practices, ceremonies, or worship; valued for symbolism and tradition.
Rings
Small, circular jewelry pieces created as artistic expressions, often featuring metalwork and gemstones.
Rugs and Carpets
Woven or knotted floor coverings that merge craft, design, pattern, and cultural motifs.
Rugs, Carpets, Textiles
Textile floor or wall works including woven rugs, tapestries, and fabric pieces valued for color, technique, and material.
Science and Technology
Artworks or objects that explore scientific concepts, technological processes, or innovative materials.
Serving Dishes, Plates, Wares
Functional table objects designed for serving food, often elevated through craftsmanship, decorative techniques, and material quality.
Sideboards
Large storage furniture traditionally used in dining spaces, valued for their design, structure, and artisanal detailing.
Silver
Objects crafted from silver, including decorative, functional, or ceremonial pieces, appreciated for material value and fine workmanship.
Site‑Specific
Artworks created for a particular location, designed to respond directly to the space, architecture, or environment in which they are installed.
Sofas, Settees
Seating furniture designed for comfort and style, often considered collectible design pieces due to their form and materials.
Stools, Taborets
Compact seating objects that balance function and design, frequently used as sculptural or accent pieces.
Table Lamps
Portable lighting fixtures that combine illumination with decorative and artistic design.
Tables
Functional surfaces used in domestic or public spaces, often crafted as design objects or artistic furniture.
Tableware, Flatware, Serveware
Coordinated sets of utensils and serving items designed for dining, combining utility with aesthetic and material refinement.
Tapestries
Textile artworks created by weaving or stitching, often used as wall hangings to depict imagery, narratives, or patterns.
Tea, Coffee, Chocolate Wares
Specialized vessels and utensils designed for the preparation and serving of hot beverages, valued for design and cultural tradition.
Tiles, Mosaics
Decorative surfaces composed of ceramic, stone, or glass pieces, used architecturally or as standalone artworks.
Tobacco Items
Objects related to the storage or use of tobacco, such as pipes, boxes, or cases, often collected for their craftsmanship and historical context.
Vanity and Travel Accessories
Personal items such as mirrors, cases, or grooming tools designed with both function and aesthetic appeal.
Vases, Urns, Amphoras
Decorative vessels traditionally used for display or storage, often reflecting historical forms and artistic styles.
Windows, Stained Glass
Architectural artworks using colored or treated glass to create light‑based visual compositions.
Works on Paper
Two‑dimensional artworks created on paper, including drawings, prints, collages, and mixed‑media pieces.
