A selection of curiosities and vanitas—taxidermy, anatomical engraving, a large metal medicine bottle from the nineteenth century

Pierre Bazalgues, Paul Bert Market, aisle 4, stall 211
From Antiquaries: Flea Markets of Paris, Assouline, 2010
Photo by Laziz Hamani

A nineteenth-century Italian bust of Seneca, made of bronze and stone, sits above a seventeenth-century painting of a nude woman seen from the back (Northern Renaissance style) and a nineteenth-century cachepot with Islamic decoration by Édouard Lièvre

Patrick Morocos, Seroette Market, aisle 4, stall 23
From Antiquaries: Flea Markets of Paris, Assouline, 2010
Photo by Laziz Hamani

Left: An hourglass, a small casket, and a demonic candlestick from the nineteenth century: this dealer collects objects that illustrate the cruelty or fascination with the passing of time

Pierre Bazalgues, Paul Bert Market, aisle 4, stall 211

Right: A Levallois articulated lamp and a film projector from the 1920s set the stage for the contrast between a massive sculptor’s stand and a rococo shell armchair of warm wood with gold and silver gilding (circa 1850–80)

Michel Peraches and Éric Miele, Paul Bert Market, aisle 1, stall 21
Both images from Antiquaries: Flea Markets of Paris, Assouline, 2010
Photo by Laziz Hamani

A pair of 1930s crackle glaze ceramic vases made by the Frères Mougin of the Ecole de Nancy, placed on a 1940s Strafor industrial shelf

Marv-Olivier Hesse, Paul Bert Market, aisle 1, stall 35
From Antiquaries: Flea Markets of Paris, Assouline, 2010
Photo by Laziz Hamani

Walls weathered by sand and embellished with coconut fibers; a Napoleon III-era sofa covered with a fabric by Aissa Dione; a Bambara mask; a sculpture from Sepik, in Papua New Guinea; table lamps made of crocodile skin; and a bedcover embroidered with butterflies, designed by François Daneck. Protected by a mosquito net and removed from the danger of wild animals, this beautiful bedroom rivals those of the grandest African lodges

François Daneck, Colonial Concept, 8 Rue Paul Bert
From Antiquaries: Flea Markets of Paris, Assouline, 2010
Photo by Laziz Hamani

Printer’s letters, metal pigeonholes, military mattresses, articulated chairs and lamps—for this dealer, vintage spirit is synonymous with utilitarian design

Herve Goasguen, Paul Bert Market, aisle 1, stall 39
From Antiquaries: Flea Markets of Paris, Assouline, 2010
Photo by Laziz Hamani

A crystal chandelier, a Murano glass chandelier, lanterns; two chandeliers, one in crystal, the other in Murano glass; precariously balanced neo-Egyptian stools, painted wood vases with chinoiserie decor; and a foot belonging to a centurion, a legionnaire, or even a Roman emperor

Gerard Mizel, Serpette Market, aisle 1, stall 41
From Antiquaries: Flea Markets of Paris, Assouline, 2010
Photo by Laziz Hamani