Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
In 1880, polymath designer William Morris declared: “If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” His words encapsulated the Aesthetic Movement, which prized beauty above all and blurred the lines between fine art and the decorative arts, particularly through lavishly crafted furniture pieces.
The Aesthetic Movement, whose major proponents included author Oscar Wilde, flourished from the 1860s to the 1880s and was mostly popular in England and the United States. Design expositions like the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia, as well as the publishing of how-to books for interior design, helped disseminate Aesthetic Movement bedroom furniture, serveware, coffee tables and other items, especially to the middle class.
The establishment of new art museums, art clubs and a rising passion for collecting at the time contributed to a growing appreciation for art. Morris’s founding of Morris & Co. in 1862 and the commercializing of this “cult of beauty” by the Liberty store in London, starting in the late 19th century, further disseminated the idea of a domestic space that was thoughtfully and floridly designed.
Leading Aesthetic Movement furniture designers included E.W. Godwin, who drew on Japanese influences and whose work reflected a wider enthusiasm for imported East Asian art. British designer Christopher Dresser created textiles, ceramics and more that were also inspired by Japanese decorative art but were representative of additional diverse design sources that ranged from Egypt to Mexico.
The Aesthetic Movement’s eclecticism resulted in dazzling interiors. Japanese fans were positioned on Renaissance-inspired cabinets with brass hardware, while mantels made of rich walnut or finely carved ebonized wood and adorned with painted Minton tiles mingled with cast-iron chairs against a backdrop of floral wallpaper. In 1881, in New York City, stenciled checkerboard motifs and painted floral murals could be found under an opalescent glass chandelier in a luxurious dressing room designed by German émigré cabinetmaker-decorator George Alfred Schastey. Amid the rise of the industrial age, the style’s promotion of art in everyday life would inform the Arts and Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau.
Find a collection of antique Aesthetic Movement seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture and antiques on 1stDibs.
Early 2000s British Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Wood, Paper
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Earthenware
Early 20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Acrylic
19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas, Wood, Paint
1980s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Ceramic
1960s Belgian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
2010s English Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Stained Glass
1880s Belgian Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Ceramic
2010s South African Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Wire
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Acrylic
2010s South African Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Wire
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Porcelain, Giltwood
2010s South African Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Wire
20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Silk
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Earthenware
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas, Paint
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
1950s Swedish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Paint
19th Century Brazilian Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Glass, Wood, Paper
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Ceramic
Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Faience
19th Century Unknown Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Bronze
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
1890s Dutch Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Mahogany
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Earthenware
19th Century Unknown Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Glass
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Ceramic
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
Late 19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Porcelain
1890s Belgian Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Paper
20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Porcelain
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Majolica, Ceramic
Early 20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Ceramic, Majolica
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
1790s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
Early 20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Natural Fiber
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
Early 1900s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Mahogany
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Walnut, Paper
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Glass, Mahogany
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Metal
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Glass
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
Mid-19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
1890s Dutch Antique Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Canvas
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Wall Decorations
Fruitwood