Material Culture

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Material Culture Shop 60K sq ft of Art/ifacts from around the World & Auction House that aims to be accessible to all. In essence, taste matters.
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We travel around the world, drawing on three decades of experience of art collection in the field, to hand-pick authentic art, furnishing, and elements for home decor. These traditional arts and crafts, ranging from contemporary to the old and antique, are available at a fraction of the price of industrial knockoffs found in catalogs and chain stores. In this age of sterile mass-production, we believe that, more than ever, the home space should be decorated with pieces of authenticity, personality, beauty, and spirit. And in this economic climate, we believe that individuals should be able to create their unique home affordably. Furthermore, we are committed through our work to environmental sustainability and a strengthening of the global community. While many large businesses pay lip service to green policies, reusing, repurposing and reclaiming traditional artifacts make up the very fabric of our business. Many of these principles culminate in the application of our knowledge to the auction business, where we can pass along the benefits of affordability and sustainability to our local, arts-rich community, and expand our reach to the society of collectors worldwide. The honed eye of Material Culture Auctioneers will bring together unique sellers and buyers who share a common belief in the importance of the distinctive and the beautiful. Whether a treasure from our auctions or our store tugs you in, our ethos remains the same. Through these objects of traditional art and utilitarian craft, we invite you to connect with the fundamental human spirit that animates creation all over the globe, and to participate in the idea that in surrounding ourselves with this spirit, we nurture our own humanity.

10/14/2026

We often find ourselves thinking of the story behind the objects here. Who was the maker? What can we learn just from close observation?

George examines the story behind this Qashgai Saddle Bag from 19th Century Southwestern Persia.

Find magical objects, and the even more magical stories behind them, at our 60K Sq Ft warehouse in Philadelphia, PA.

📍 4700 Wissahickon Ave
🌐 materialculture.com

Video credit: Manos del Volcán

10/07/2026

More than 300 lots. Centuries of weaving traditions. Countless stories told in wool, color, and pattern.

ANTIQUE VILLAGE & TRIBAL RUGS, KILIMS, TRAPPINGS brings together a remarkable selection of antique rugs and weavings from Persia, Anatolia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and beyond—from boldly drawn village rugs and colorful kilims to rare tribal bags, trappings, and other woven objects.

These are textiles made to be lived with—objects that carry the fingerprints of their makers and the visual traditions of the cultures that produced them.

🗨️ Live Showroom Auction
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 · 11AM ET

👀 Public Exhibition
October 12–13 · 11AM–4PM

📍 4700 Wissahickon Ave, Philadelphia
🌐 materialculture.com

Join us at Material Culture in Philadelphia or bid live online from anywhere in the world.



Video credit: Manos del Volcán

10/05/2026

Now live! Browse & Bid on over 500 lots of ethnographic, Asian, ancient, and tribal art this October. Bid in person with us at our 60K Sq Ft warehouse: 4700 Wissahickon Ave, Philadelphia. Or Browse & Bid online worldwide at materialculture.com

ETHNOGRAPHIC | ASIAN | TRIBAL | ANCIENT

🗨 Live Showroom Auction: Wed, Oct 21, 10 AM EST
👀 Public Exhibition:Oct 19-20

Video credit: Manos del Volcán

09/28/2026

What if William Morris knocked on your door one morning?

I invited him in.

He looked around at the antique rugs, textiles, paintings, sculpture, folk and ethnographic art—things gathered over a lifetime, made in different places, in different centuries, by people who often never thought of themselves as “artists.”

Nothing matched. Everything belonged.

Morris understood.

More than a century ago, he argued that the things we make and the things we live with should give us pleasure. That beauty shouldn't be something reserved for museums or special occasions—it should be part of everyday life.

Maybe that's why we collect. Not simply to possess things, but to live among objects that carry the touch, imagination, history, and humanity of the people who made them.

And as for whether William Morris really came to visit...

I'm still not entirely sure.



Video credit: Manos del Volcán

09/21/2026

Three auctions for textile lovers this fall at Material Culture. Join us for:

INTERNATIONAL TEXTILE ARTS
🗨 Live Showroom Auction: Wed, Sep 23, 11 AM EST
👀 Public Exhibition: Sep 21-22

ANTIQUE ORIENTAL RUGS FROM AMERICAN ESTATES | 81
🗨 Live Showroom Auction: Wed, Sep 30, 11 AM EST
👀 Public Exhibition: Sep 28-29

ANTIQUE VILLAGE & TRIBAL RUGS, KILIMS, TRAPPINGS
🗨 Live Showroom Auction: Wed, Oct 14, 11 AM EST
👀 Public Exhibition: Oct 12-13

📍Bid in person with us at our 60K Sq Ft warehouse: 4700 Wissahickon Ave, Philadelphia.

Or Browse & Bid online worldwide at materialculture.com

Video credit: Manos del Volcán

08/05/2026

Take a closeup look at Lot 2 from our Summer Estates auction, a beautiful Chinese lacquered wood and rattan bridal sedan. 

📍Bid in person with us at our 60K Sq Ft warehouse: 4700 Wissahickon Ave, Philadelphia.

Or Browse & Bid online worldwide at materialculture.com

SUMMER ESTATES | Folk & Fine Art, Antiques, Decorative Arts, Oriental Rugs & Much More

🗨 Live Showroom Auction: Wed, Aug 12, 10 AM EST
👀 Public Exhibition: Aug 10-11

Video credit: Manos del Volcán

07/28/2026

Our Summer Estates auction features an incredible breadth of categories. Take Lot 204 as an example: a collection of Ottoman-Era Astrological Zodiac And Ta***ic Chakra Manuscript Folios. These opaque watercolor and ink miniature paintings on paper include diagrams of the alchemical hand, ta***ic feet, and Zodiac Man. Browse & Bid online worldwide at materialculture.com

SUMMER ESTATES | Folk & Fine Art, Antiques, Decorative Arts, Oriental Rugs & Much More

🗨 Live Showroom Auction: Wed, Aug 12, 10 AM EST
👀 Public Exhibition: Aug 10-11

📍Bid in person at our 60K Sq Ft warehouse: 4700 Wissahickon Ave, Philadelphia

Video credit: Manos del Volcán

07/18/2026

We're honored to offer an exceptional work by Haiti's greatest master, Hector Hyppolite, in our Haitian and Caribbean Art of the 20th Century auction this Monday. Plus, join us for a BBQ and talk this Sunday!

JOIN US!
Sunday, July 19 | Noon–3:00 PM
Caribbean Barbecue & Refreshments: 12–2 PM
2 PM: Special Guest Speaker:
Art and Revolution: A Conversation with Sandra Levinson,
Executive Director, Center for Cuban Studies
Founder & Curator, Cuban Art Space

Free and open to the public. All are welcome.

HAITIAN AND CARIBBEAN ART OF THE 20TH CENTURY
533 LOTS | NO RESERVES

🗨 Live Showroom Auction: Monday, Jul 20, 10AM EST
👀 Public Exhibition: Jul 17–19
Guest Curator: José Zelaya

📍Bid in person at our 60K Sq Ft warehouse: 4700 Wissahickon Ave, Philadelphia

Or Browse & Bid online worldwide at materialculture.com

Video credit: Manos del Volcán

Address

4700 Wissahickon Avenue Ste 101
Philadelphia, PA
19144

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+12158498030

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