Mermaids at BON TON | Vintage Art, Sculpture & Ocean-Inspired Design
Mermaids: Myth, Mystery and the Enduring Call of the Sea
Mermaids have always existed somewhere between beauty and danger, fantasy and longing.
They appear in ancient myths, sailors’ stories, paintings, sculpture, textiles and decorative objects across cultures and centuries. Sometimes they are romantic figures, sometimes powerful guardians, and sometimes warnings from an unknowable world beneath the surface.
At BON TON, our fascination with mermaids is less about a single decorative theme and more about the atmosphere they create: mysterious, theatrical, feminine and deeply connected to the sea.
Our evolving Mermaid Collection brings together original jewellery by Mikkel, vintage Scandinavian textiles, Italian decorative arts, sculpture, prints and unusual objects gathered from different periods and places.
Explore the complete Mermaid Collection →
The Mermaid as Muse
Few mythical figures have remained as visually compelling as the mermaid.
Her image has shifted constantly through history. In some traditions she is seductive and dangerous; in others, protective, wise or tragic. She belongs neither entirely to land nor sea, which may explain why artists return to her again and again.
The mermaid represents transformation, independence and the irresistible pull of another world. She is familiar enough to recognise immediately, yet mysterious enough to be reinvented endlessly.
That tension is at the heart of Mikkel’s Mermaid Suite.
Mikkel’s Mermaid Suite
Created by Mikkel, The Mermaid Suite explores the mermaid through jewellery: not as a whimsical motif, but as an ancient, powerful and deeply personal figure.
The suite reflects Mikkel’s fascination with mythology, symbolism and the expressive possibilities of precious materials. Each piece feels discovered rather than merely designed, as though it belongs to a story that began long before us.
There is romance in the collection, certainly, but also strength. These are jewels for someone drawn to the sea, to transformation, and to objects that carry a sense of narrative.
A Scandinavian Underwater Dream
One of the most extraordinary pieces in the collection is a vintage Lini of Sweden mermaid textile from circa 1970.
Rendered in luminous shades of turquoise, cobalt and green, the textile depicts a mermaid surrounded by tropical fish, shells, sea plants and fantastical underwater forms.
It captures the optimism and graphic confidence of late twentieth-century Scandinavian textile design while retaining the dreamlike quality of a much older myth. The mermaid is not presented as a distant figure on a rock, but as part of a complete underwater world.
At nearly architectural scale, the textile functions beautifully as wall art. It brings colour, movement and a sense of fantasy to a room without feeling childish or overly decorative.
View the vintage Lini of Sweden textile →
Sicilian Mermaids and the Theatre of the Table
In Sicily, mythology has never felt entirely separate from everyday life.
The Sicilian Mermaid Candle Holder brings the sea to the table in rich ocean teal. Sculptural and unapologetically theatrical, it transforms candlelight into part of the story.
This is the kind of object that gives a room personality. It works as a candlestick, sculpture and conversation piece, equally at home on a dining table, mantel or console.
Rather than treating mythology as something solemn, Sicilian decorative arts often embrace colour, humour and exuberance. The result is an object that feels both ancient and wonderfully alive.
Explore the Sicilian Mermaid Candle Holder →
Vintage Mermaids with Character
Vintage mermaid figures often possess a charm that polished contemporary objects cannot quite reproduce.
Our Vintage Mermaid Figurine has that quality. She is decorative, slightly eccentric and full of character, with the unmistakable presence of an object that has already lived a life.
Small figurative pieces like this are particularly effective when placed among books, shells, paintings and collected objects. They create a room that feels personal rather than styled, allowing mythology to enter quietly rather than dominate.
View the Vintage Mermaid Figurine →
Mermaids on Paper
Printmaking offers another way to explore the mermaid: through line, silhouette and suggestion.
Print No. VI by NL has a graphic directness that contrasts beautifully with the more elaborate objects in the collection. Its restrained palette and strong composition allow the mythical subject to feel modern and almost emblematic.
Works on paper are particularly useful for bringing a collection together. A mermaid print can sit comfortably alongside vintage photographs, botanical studies, maritime paintings or contemporary art, creating connections without requiring a room to become overtly nautical.
The Shell Lady
Not every sea woman needs a tail.
The Shell Lady belongs to the broader visual world of mermaids, sirens and ocean goddesses. She combines the human figure with shell forms, blurring the distinction between portrait and marine ornament.
There is something slightly surreal about her, which is precisely the appeal. She feels like an object from an imagined seaside palace, a cabinet of curiosities or a dream remembered only in fragments.
Lady of the Sea
The Lady of the Sea Head Vase brings together two enduring traditions: the decorative female portrait and the mythology of the ocean.
Head vases became especially popular in the twentieth century, often depicting glamorous women, actresses and idealised figures. Here, that familiar form takes on a maritime identity, becoming part siren, part sea goddess and part eccentric decorative object.
Filled with flowers or displayed simply as sculpture, she introduces a wonderfully theatrical note to an interior.
View the Lady of the Sea Head Vase →
How to Decorate with Mermaids
The most compelling mermaid interiors are rarely literal.
Rather than filling a room with overtly nautical motifs, choose one or two pieces with real presence. A large vintage textile can anchor a wall, while a sculptural candlestick or figurine adds a quieter reference elsewhere in the room.
Mermaid objects work especially well alongside:
- Shells and natural specimens
- Antique mirrors and reflective surfaces
- Deep greens, ocean blues and mineral tones
- Brass, bronze and aged metals
- Vintage textiles and hand-painted ceramics
- Botanical and maritime prints
- Objects gathered through travel
The aim is not to create a themed room, but to suggest a story.
A mermaid belongs in an interior that feels layered, curious and slightly mysterious.
Why We Keep Returning to the Sea
Perhaps the mermaid endures because she represents something we never fully understand.
The sea is beautiful, but never entirely safe. It offers escape, possibility and distance, while reminding us how little of the world is truly known.
Mermaids inhabit that uncertainty. They are figures of beauty, transformation and independence, forever moving between worlds.
At BON TON, we collect mermaids not simply because they are decorative, but because they bring narrative into a home. Each piece carries a different interpretation of the myth, from Scandinavian modernism and Sicilian exuberance to vintage sculpture and contemporary jewellery.
Together, they form a collection that is romantic, unusual and wonderfully difficult to define.
Explore the Mermaid Collection
Discover original jewellery, vintage textiles, sculpture, prints, candle holders and sea-inspired decorative objects in the complete BON TON Mermaid Collection.