Aesthetic Movement Boxes
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 English Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Tin
1910s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Metal
Mid-20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Metal
Mid-20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Metal
1910s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Metal
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Metal
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Gold, Silver
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Porcelain
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Papercord
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Brass
1860s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Earthenware
1920s Austrian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Alabaster, Metal
Late 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Ceramic
1890s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Paper
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Chrome
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Silver, Copper
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Brass
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Rosewood
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Wood
1910s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Wood
1930s Danish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Bronze
Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Wood, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Tin
Mid-20th Century Dutch Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Metal
Mid-20th Century Israeli Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Metal
20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Satinwood, Walnut
Early 20th Century Dutch Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Tin
Early 20th Century Japanese Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Wood, Silk
20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Metal
Mid-20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Metal
1930s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Metal
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Tin
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Silver Plate
1910s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Sterling Silver
20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Brass
19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Enamel, Metal
Early 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Ceramic
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Paper
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Metal
Mid-20th Century Indian Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Bone, Wood
1870s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Bronze
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Pottery
Mid-20th Century Portuguese Aesthetic Movement Boxes
Ceramic, Earthenware, Majolica, Pottery