Term
Vintage
A term for older objects valued for the design, quality or cultural history of their period. The word does not by itself indicate a precise age.
- Category
- Term
- Index letter
- V
Understanding the term
In the market, vintage often describes twentieth-century design and applied art, but the threshold varies by field. The label should be accompanied by a specific date or period when known. Vintage does not automatically mean rare, original or valuable.
When Vintage appears in a description, the term helps specify a work's form, status or history. Its precise meaning should always be read alongside information about material, technique, date and origin.
Specialist terminology is most useful when it can be supported. Signatures, labels, edition numbers, documentation and visible traces in the object can all help establish whether a term is accurate in a particular case.
Related entries
Continue through the glossary with terms from the same field.