Art Nouveau Period Collection
Art Nouveau was a modernizing movement in the decorative arts that developed in France and Britain in the early 1880s and quickly became a dominant aesthetic style in Western Europe and the United States. In its sinuous lines and flamboyant curves inspired by the natural world, Art Nouveau furniture, jewelry and graphic design reflected a desire for freedom from the stuffy social and artistic strictures of the Victorian era.
Art Nouveau can be easily identified by its lush, flowing forms suggested by flowers and plants, as well as the lissome tendrils of sea life. The 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. The style quickly reached a wide audience in Europe via advertising posters, book covers, illustrations and other work by such artists as Aubrey Beardsley, Henri 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, bedframes 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 studio of Louis Comfort Tiffany 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.
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Period Collection
Opaline Glass
19th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Art Nouveau Period Collection
Crystal
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Period Collection
Early 20th Century English Art Nouveau Art Nouveau Period Collection
Crystal
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Period Collection
Glass
20th Century English Art Nouveau Period Collection
19th Century American Art Nouveau Antique Art Nouveau Period Collection
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Art Nouveau Period Collection
2010s American Minimalist Art Nouveau Period Collection
Crystal
1810s English Regency Antique Art Nouveau Period Collection
Porcelain
20th Century Czech Hollywood Regency Art Nouveau Period Collection
Crystal
Late 19th Century Belgian High Victorian Antique Art Nouveau Period Collection
Cut Glass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Art Nouveau Period Collection
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Art Nouveau Period Collection
Gold, Sterling Silver
1950s American Art Nouveau Vintage Art Nouveau Period Collection
Crystal
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Art Nouveau Period Collection
Glass
1960s French Empire Vintage Art Nouveau Period Collection
Crystal
Early 20th Century English Art Nouveau Period Collection
Porcelain
19th Century British Antique Art Nouveau Period Collection
Porcelain
20th Century French Art Nouveau Period Collection
Crystal
Read More
Ready for a Cinderella Moment? This Glass Handbag Is a Perfect Fit
Glass slippers might be the stuff of fairytales, but glass handbags? Artist Joshua Raiffe has made them a reality, and they're far less delicate than you might imagine, but just as dreamy.
With Dansk, Jens Quistgaard Delivered Danish Simplicity to American Tables
When a visionary Copenhagen designer teamed up with an enterprising Long Island couple, Scandi-style magic landed in kitchens and dining rooms across the United States.
Hostess Extraordinaire Aerin Lauder Shares Entertaining Tips and Auction Picks
The arbiter of good taste, who has curated a collection for 1stDibs Auctions, invites 1stDibs inside her family’s Hamptons barn for a firsthand look at her welcoming style.
Handmade with Lab-Grade Glass, This Decanter Holds Your Favorite Cocktail Concoctions
Artist Simone Crestani conjures the fascination you remember from Chemistry 101.
28 Cheerful Home Bars, Where Everybody (Literally) Knows Your Name
Simple or sophisticated, equipped with console, cart or custom cabinetry, these stylish bar areas deserve a toast.
Meet the Celebrated Hostess Whose Magical Tabletops Enhance Every Occasion
For Stephanie Booth Shafran, entertaining guests is about opening her heart as well as her home.
How to Identify Real Capodimonte Porcelain
Early examples by the Italian manufacturer can be hard to come by, but the best later pieces possess the same over-the-top charm.
How Noguchi Elevated Ashtrays to Objets d’Art
Smoking might have fallen out of fashion, but these ashtrays have enduring design appeal.