Meissen Art Nouveau
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1920s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Vases
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century German Art Nouveau Dinner Plates
Porcelain
Vintage 1930s German Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Early 20th Century German Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Late 19th Century German Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Early 20th Century German Chinoiserie Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Enamel
Antique Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Vases
Bronze
Antique 19th Century German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Animal Sculptures
Bronze
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique 1890s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Baroque Figurative Sculptures
Majolica
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Agra Busts
Terracotta, Wood
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Vintage 1980s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Mid-19th Century German Baroque Revival Porcelain
Porcelain
20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Vases
Terracotta
Antique Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
Antique 1890s German Edwardian Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
Antique Late 19th Century Porcelain
Antique Late 19th Century Rococo Mantel Clocks
Bronze, Ormolu
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Early 20th Century German Figurative Sculptures
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
Porcelain
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Meissen Art Nouveau For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Meissen Art Nouveau?
A Close Look at Art Nouveau Furniture
In its sinuous lines and flamboyant curves inspired by the natural world, antique Art Nouveau furniture reflects a desire for freedom from the stuffy social and artistic strictures of the Victorian era. The Art Nouveau movement developed in the decorative arts in France and Britain in the early 1880s and quickly became a dominant aesthetic style in Western Europe and the United States.
ORIGINS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN
- Emerged during the late 19th century
- Popularity of this modernizing style declined in the early 20th century
- Originated in France and Britain but variants materialized elsewhere
- Informed by Rococo, Pre-Raphaelite art, Japanese art (and Japonisme), Arts and Crafts; influenced modernism, Bauhaus
CHARACTERISTICS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN
- Sinuous, organic and flowing lines
- Forms that mimic flowers and plant life
- Decorative inlays and ornate carvings of natural-world motifs such as insects and animals
- Use of hardwoods such as oak, mahogany and rosewood
ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
ANTIQUE ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
Art Nouveau — which spanned furniture, architecture, jewelry and graphic design — can be easily identified by its lush, flowing forms suggested by flowers and plants, as well as the lissome tendrils of sea life. Although Art Deco and Art Nouveau were both in the forefront of turn-of-the-20th-century design, they are very different styles — Art Deco is marked by bold, geometric shapes while Art Nouveau incorporates dreamlike, floral motifs. The latter’s signature motif is the "whiplash" curve — a deep, narrow, dynamic parabola that appears as an element in everything from chair arms to cabinetry and mirror frames.
The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau was particularly influenced by the soft colors and abstract images of nature seen in Japanese art prints, which arrived in large numbers in the West after open trade was forced upon Japan in the 1860s. Impressionist artists were moved by the artistic tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking, and Japonisme — a term used to describe the appetite for Japanese art and culture in Europe at the time — greatly informed Art Nouveau.
The Art Nouveau style quickly reached a wide audience in Europe via advertising posters, book covers, illustrations and other work by such artists as Aubrey Beardsley, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha. While all Art Nouveau designs share common formal elements, different countries and regions produced their own variants.
In Scotland, the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh developed a singular, restrained look based on scale rather than ornament; a style best known from his narrow chairs with exceedingly tall backs, designed for Glasgow tea rooms. Meanwhile in France, Hector Guimard — whose iconic 1896 entry arches for the Paris Metro are still in use — and Louis Majorelle produced chairs, desks, bed frames and cabinets with sweeping lines and rich veneers.
The Art Nouveau movement was known as Jugendstil ("Youth Style") in Germany, and in Austria the designers of the Vienna Secession group — notably Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann and Joseph Maria Olbrich — produced a relatively austere iteration of the Art Nouveau style, which mixed curving and geometric elements.
Art Nouveau revitalized all of the applied arts. Ceramists such as Ernest Chaplet and Edmond Lachenal created new forms covered in novel and rediscovered glazes that produced thick, foam-like finishes. Bold vases, bowls and lighting designs in acid-etched and marquetry cameo glass by Émile Gallé and the Daum Freres appeared in France, while in New York the glass workshop-cum-laboratory of Louis Comfort Tiffany — the core of what eventually became a multimedia decorative-arts manufactory called Tiffany Studios — brought out buoyant pieces in opalescent favrile glass.
Jewelry design was revolutionized, as settings, for the first time, were emphasized as much as, or more than, gemstones. A favorite Art Nouveau jewelry motif was insects (think of Tiffany, in his famed Dragonflies glass lampshade).
Like a mayfly, Art Nouveau was short-lived. The sensuous, languorous style fell out of favor early in the 20th century, deemed perhaps too light and insubstantial for European tastes in the aftermath of World War I. But as the designs on 1stDibs demonstrate, Art Nouveau retains its power to fascinate and seduce.
There are ways to tastefully integrate a touch of Art Nouveau into even the most modern interior — browse an extraordinary collection of original antique Art Nouveau furniture on 1stDibs, which includes decorative objects, seating, tables, garden elements and more.
Finding the Right porcelain for You
Today you’re likely to bring out your antique and vintage porcelain in order to dress up your dining table for a special meal.
Porcelain, a durable and nonporous kind of pottery made from clay and stone, was first made in China and spread across the world owing to the trade routes to the Far East established by Dutch and Portuguese merchants. Given its origin, English speakers called porcelain “fine china,” an expression you still might hear today. "Fine" indeed — for over a thousand years, it has been a highly sought-after material.
Meissen Porcelain, one of the first factories to create real porcelain outside Asia, popularized figurine centerpieces during the 18th century in Germany, while works by Capodimonte, a porcelain factory in Italy, are synonymous with flowers and notoriously hard to come by. Modern porcelain houses such as Maison Fragile of Limoges, France — long a hub of private porcelain manufacturing — keep the city’s long tradition alive while collaborating with venturesome contemporary artists such as illustrator Jean-Michel Tixier.
Porcelain is not totally clumsy-guest-proof, but it is surprisingly durable and easy to clean. Its low permeability and hardness have rendered porcelain wares a staple in kitchens and dining rooms as well as a common material for bathroom sinks and dental veneers. While it is tempting to store your porcelain behind closed glass cabinet doors and reserve it only for display, your porcelain dinner plates and serving platters can safely weather the “dangers” of the dining room and be used during meals.
Add different textures and colors to your table with dinner plates and pitchers of ceramic and silver or a porcelain lidded tureen, a serving dish with side handles that is often used for soups. Although porcelain and ceramic are both made in a kiln, porcelain is made with more refined clay and is stronger than ceramic because it is denser.
On 1stDibs, browse an expansive collection of antique and vintage porcelain made in a variety of styles, including Regency, Scandinavian modern and other examples produced during the mid-century era, plus Rococo, which found its inspiration in nature and saw potters crafting animal figurines and integrating organic motifs such as floral patterns in their work.
- What is Art Nouveau jewelry?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertNovember 2, 2021Art Nouveau jewelry generally featured three main themes: flora, fauna and women. The Art Nouveau movement lasted 15 years and it reached its pinnacle in the year 1900. Art Nouveau jewelers used every “canvas” imaginable, looking beyond brooches and necklaces to belt buckles, fans, tiaras, dog collars (a type of choker necklace), pocket watches, corsages and hair combs. Multicolored gems and enamel could complete this vision better than diamonds. Enameling is most often associated with Art Nouveau jewelry, specifically plique-à-jour. Known as backless enamel, plique-à-jour allows light to come through the rear of the enamel because there is no metal backing. It creates an effect of translucence and lightness. Shop a collection of antique and vintage Art Nouveau jewelry from some of the world’s top jewelers on 1stDibs.
- What is Art Nouveau furniture?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertAugust 15, 2019
Art Nouveau furniture was a style of furniture that emerged at the end of the 19th century and was characterized by its complex curved lines. The curved details in the furniture were typically carved by hand and finished with lacquer. The unmistakable gloss that is associated with Art Nouveau comes from the thick coat of varnish applied to the furniture as the final step of the production process.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 27, 2024Art Nouveau was influenced by a few things. The soft colors and abstract images of nature seen in Japanese woodblock prints, which arrived in large numbers in the West after open trade was forced upon Japan in the 1860s, were a major source of inspiration. Also, Pre-Raphaelite art and the Arts and Crafts and Rococo styles had an influence on Art Nouveau designers. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of Art Nouveau furniture and decorative objects.
- 1stDibs ExpertAugust 15, 2019
The main difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco is that the former is detailed and ornate, and the latter is sharp and geometrical. When the movement started at the end of the 19th century, Art Nouveau was heavily influenced by nature and the curved lines of flowers. Art Deco, which became popular in the beginning of the 20th century, was inspired by the geometric abstraction of cubism.
- Is stained glass Art Nouveau?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Yes, some stained glass is Art Nouveau. It was during this period that Louis Comfort Tiffany produced his famed stained glass windows and decorative objects. However, the tradition of producing stained glass traces all the way back to the Gothic period. You'll find a selection of stained glass on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Alphonse Mucha was a Czech painter who is one of the originators of the Art Nouveau style. His style of painting and design rose in popularity in 1895 and he produced many works, including illustrations, posters and jewelry designs. Find a variety of Alphonso Mucha art and prints on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertAugust 15, 2019
The Art Nouveau design movement used such materials as cast iron and steel, ceramic and glass. This style of architecture, design, art and jewelry was characterized by its use of long, sinuous lines that are reflected in nature.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2024No one person created the Art Nouveau movement. However, the term debuted in an 1884 article in the L'Art Moderne journal, describing the work of a collective of artists known as Les XX. As a result, some people credit the group and its founding members, James Ensor and Théo van Rysselberghe, as helping to define the movement. However, Art Nouveau was heavily informed by work that came before, including Rococo design, Pre-Raphaelite art, Japanese art and the Arts and Crafts movement. Beyond Les XX, a number of creators helped to propel the movement. Among them were Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Louis Majorelle, Émile Gallé, Antoni Gaudí and Tiffany Studios. On 1stDibs, explore a diverse assortment of Art Nouveau furniture and decorative objects.