Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
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 20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Metal
Late 20th Century Moroccan Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Enamel
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Leather
1860s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Leather
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Silver
Late 19th Century North American Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver, Copper
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Rock Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Silver, Gold
Early 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Wood
1960s Austrian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Horn
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Metal
1920s Austrian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Brass
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Gold
Late 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Leather, Velvet
1960s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Chrome
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century Indian Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Wood
1970s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Chrome
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Wood, Horn
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Stoneware
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Copper
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Marble, Gold Plate, Bronze
Early 1900s North American Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Aesthetic Movement Desk Accessories
Jade, Brass