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
CHARACTERISTICS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN
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.
Art Nouveau Casket by Niels Dam Ravn, 1930s, Denmark
By N. Dam Ravn
Located in Værløse, DK
Art Nouveau bronze casket designed by Niels Dam Ravn and produced by Nordisk Malm in the 1930s. * Curvilinear bronze casket with deer motifs and a fitted wooden interior box * Desig...
Brass
Art Nouveau Casket by Niels Dam Ravn, 1930s, Denmark
By N. Dam Ravn
Located in Værløse, DK
Art Nouveau brass casket designed by Niels Dam Ravn in the 1930s. * Curvilinear bronze casket with floral motifs and fitted wooden interior box * Designer: Niels Dam Ravn * Manufact...
Brass
Gorgeous Cathedral Cologne Souvenir Trinket Jewelry Box Antique, German, 1950s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful souvenir trinket box made of metal. A beautiful nice addition to your vanity room or your collection of Grand Tour items.
Metal
1920 English Huntley & Palmers Chinoiserie Jar on Stand Biscuit Tin Box
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
1920 Huntley & Palmers Chinoiserie Jar on Stand Biscuit Tin Box. Faux craquelure glazed "jar" decorated with phoenix birds, rising sun, & flowering bamboo. Great handles & borders. B...
Metal, Tin
Antique American Art Nouveau Repousse Sterling Silver Matchsafe or Vesta
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine antique signed silver Art Nouveau matchsafe. In sterling silver. With repousse decoration of rocaille swags around the edges of both sides. With a striker to the base. Mar...
Sterling Silver
Louis Wain Cat Themed Edwardian Pill Box / Snuff Box by LS Mayer, Germany, 1900s
By Louis Wain
Located in London, GB
A fantastic and highly collectible Edwardian Art Nouveau cat-themed pill box or snuff box featuring an enchanting brass plaque of a cat with original green glass eyes, made in German...
Brass, Nickel
Art Nouveau Rectangular Silver Plate Jewelry Box, France
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
This French rectangular silver box is heavily decorated in the typical styles of this Art Nouveau period. The box has vintage red velvet interior and the original hardware with a wor...
Silver Plate
$275Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Jewelry Box Jewels Bronze Colored Metal France
Located in Poperinge, BE
A beautiful, antique French jewelry box, very heavy, made of patinated copper-plated metal, shaped like a table, with a hinged lid and a central medallion depicting a Greek-style fem...
Metal
French Art Nouveau Wood Box Openwork Panels, circa 1900
Located in Labrit, Landes
Little wood box with openwork panels, made circa 1900 in the Art Nouveau period. A little piece of wood is missing on the back side. A. M. initial are on the top. Good antique condit...
Wood
Wonderful Antique English Sterling Silver Pot Pourri Box by Walker & Hall - 1911
Located in Bath, GB
A wonderful and most unusual Pot Pourri box made from solid English sterling silver fully hallmarked for Sheffield 1911 together with the makers mark for the top notch silversmith, W...
Sterling Silver
GEORGE ADAM SCHEID 1900 Art Nouveau Joseph Maria Auchentaller Enameled Box
Located in Miami, FL
Joseph Maria Auchentaller enameled box for George Adam Scheid (1837-1921). An extremely rare box created in Vienna, Austria, at the silversmith atelier of Georg Adam Scheid, circa 1...
Silver, Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Antique French Ormolu Beveled Glass Jewelry Dresser Box
Located in Pearland, TX
A gorgeous antique French gilt brass ormolu beveled glass footed jewelry casket or dresser box with hinged lid and lovely ornate handle. This fine quality box has been newly relined ...
Ormolu
Art Nouveau Pewter Matchbox by Just Andersen, 1920s, Denmark
Located in Værløse, DK
Art Nouveau pewter matchbox made by Just Andersen in the 1920s. * Pewter matchbox with floral knop and original inner cardboard box (matches not included) * Designer: Just Andersen ...
Pewter
Tiffany Studios Pine Needle Pattern Hankerchief Box
Located in Bronx, NY
This vintage early 20th century Tiffany Studios, New York “handkerchief” box is designed in caramel color favrile art glass with a pine needle pattern...
Brass
French Art Nouveau Brass Apple-Shaped Jewelry Box/Ashtray, 1920s
Located in Poperinge, BE
A beautiful French jewelry box, trinket box, or ash tray shaped like an apple with branches and leaves; featuring the typical floral and organic Art Nouveau style, circa 1920. This ...
Brass
Snuff Box races miniature fire-enameled guilloche and engraved drawing Salimbeni
By Franco Salimbeni, Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Octagonal table snuffbox in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with black fired enamel inserted in a hand engraved drawing and with fired enamelled miniature, hand painted by the p...
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Fine Carved Wood Box with Morning Glories
By Maison de l'Art Nouveau
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This box is a real treasure! Completely had carved from walnut the detail in the flowers and leaves is quite remarkable. This box required a real master craftsman to achieve the outs...
Walnut
Erhard & Sohne Art Nouveau Jugendstil Arts and Crafts Jewelry Box Casket c. 1905
Located in London, GB
A beautiful art nouveau casket made by Erhard and Sohne in Germany in c. 1905. The casket is exquisitely executed with foliate detailing, made in th...
Brass
$6,492Sale Price|30% Off
René Lalique (1860-1945) « Boite Ronde Grande Muguet » Mint Green 1921
By René Lalique
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
René Lalique (1860-1945), Mint Opalescent Glass « Boite Ronde Grande Muguet » 1921 Mint green tinted molded-pressed opalescent glass box decorated with Lily of the Valley Extremel...
Art Glass
Jugendstil Brass Jewelry Casket with Velvet Lining by Erhard & Söhne, Germany
Located in North Miami, FL
1900s Jugendstil golden and silver brass jewelry casket with blue velvet-lined interior by Erhard & Söhne, Germany By: Erhard & Söhne Material: brass, copper, metal, velvet, zinc Te...
Metal, Brass, Copper, Zinc
French Art Nouveau Bronze and Beveled Crystal Jewelry Casket Circa 1920
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
An elegant and authentic French Art Nouveau jewelry casket, dating to circa 1920, masterfully crafted in bronze with beautifully beveled crystal panels. This refined decorative box e...
Crystal, Bronze
$1,120Sale Price|20% Off
French Art Nouveau Lilac Molded Glass Jewelry Box, Attributed to Daum Nancy
By Daum
Located in Miami, FL
French Art Nouveau Lilac Molded Glass Jewelry Box, Attributed to Daum Nancy, Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Art Glass Jewelry Box, Daum Nancy Style, French Art Nouveau Molded ...
Glass, Art Glass
Art Nouveau Silver Cigarette Case, Three Beauties By The Sea, Germany, Ca. 1900
Located in Vienna, AT
Rectangular silver cigarette case in a grooved, guilloché finish with a double lid: Beneath the outer lid, a further cover featuring the finest, partly iridescent enamel painting – d...
Sterling Silver, Enamel
Mid-Century Rectangular Brass and Shell Jewelry Trinket Box
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Sturdy rectangular hinged trinket box featuring brass and inlaid iridescent mother of pearl shells throughout. This box is super charming and functional for displaying or containing ...
Metal, Brass
Art Nouveau Lidded Oak Box with hand carved sinuous floral theme, circa 1900
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a good quality, hand made hardwood lidded box with a fine quality hand carved bird, together with floral themes, which we date to the late 19th C / early 20th C Art Nouveau p...
Hardwood, Oak
French Post Office Mailbox - Cast Iron - Delachanal Model - Late 19th Century
Located in BARSAC, FR
Public mailbox of the French Post Office Model in molded cast iron manufactured by Delachanal in Paris - Late 19th Century Good general condition - presented in its original conditi...
Iron
Antique Vintage Ladys Ormolu Bronze Dore German Jewelery Box Casket Art Nouveau
Located in Dublin, Ireland
A beautiful quality Art Nouveau Gilt Bronze Jewelry Casket, made in Germany in c. 1900, firmly attributed to renowned maker Erhard & Sohne. The highly elaborate ormolu metal case...
Brass, Bronze, Ormolu
Art Nouveau Guénardeau box in patinated spelter
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Art Nouveau box from the 1920s by the French artist Guénardeau. Entirely made of spelter with decoration typical of the period: flowers, a woman's bust on the lid, and arabesques. A ...
Spelter
Antique Chip Carved Wooden Box with Geometric Floral Design, 19th Century
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
This antique chip-carved wooden box, from the late 19th century, features intricate geometric and floral patterns on its surface. The hand-carved details showcase a symmetrical arran...
Wood
Stationery Carriage Companion with Pocket Watch and Mirror by Asprey of London
By Asprey International Limited
Located in Northampton, GB
FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING The Stationery Box finished in moroccan red leather with a slanted lid features two hooks to the rear originally for mounting on a carriage. A rare example i...
Metal
Art Nouveau Pewter Box by Just Andersen, 1910s, Denmark
Located in Værløse, DK
Art Nouveau Pewter Box designed by Just Andersen in the late 1910s. * Round hammered pewter box with lid with flower knop and floral chasings * Designer: Just Andersen * Manufactur...
Pewter
Diskometal Vessel by Just Andersen, 1920s, Denmark
Located in Værløse, DK
Art Nouveau diskometal casket made by Just Andersen in the 1920s. * Diskometal casket / jewellery box with floral knop and inner in wood. Original cigarette box. * Designer: Just A...
Metal
Gorgeous Munich Child Souvenir Metal Trinket Jewelry Box Antique German 1920s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Munich child souvenir trinket box, made of white metal. A beautiful nice addition to your vanity room.
Metal
$1,000Sale Price|20% Off
Late 19th Century, Bohemian Cranberry Overlay & Gilt Bronze Hinged Casket Box
Located in Atlanta, GA
Late 19th Century, Bohemian Cranberry Overlay & Gilt Bronze Hinged Casket Box A richly ornamented Bohemian casket box, dating to the latter half of the 19th century, of ovoid rectan...
Bronze
Circa 1907-1909 English Huntley & Palmer's "Iron Chest" Biscuit Tin Box
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Circa 1907-1909 Huntley & Palmers "Iron Chest" Biscuit Tin Box, English. Very collectible. 17th century Armada Chest form with hinged top with two "seals" - one of the Royal Coat of ...
Metal, Tin
Art Nouveau Pewter Box by Just Andersen, 1910s, Denmark
Located in Værløse, DK
Art Nouveau Pewter Box designed by Just Andersen in the late 1910s. * Round hammered pewter box with lid with flower knop and floral chasings * Designer: Just Andersen * Manufactur...
Pewter
$396Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Silver Card Case Aide Memoire Purse Birmingham 1908 William Haseler
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Antique silver card case in form of Aide Memoire Purse, Birmingham 1908, William Hair Haseler. Art Nouveau elaborate border surround, monogram possibly H....
Sterling Silver
Pill Box Yellow floral miniature in Art Nouveau style Sterling Silver Salimbeni
By Salimbeni, Franco Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Pill Box Yellow floral miniature in Art Nouveau style Sterling Silver Salimbeni.Round pillbox in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent...
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Pill Box slightly rounded sides enamels on guilloché Sterling Silver Salimbeni
By Franco Salimbeni, Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Square pill box with 2 slightly rounded sides, in gold-plated 925/1000 sterling silver with translucent enamels fired on guilloché. Dimensions: 4.3 x 4.5 x 2 cm. Weight: 95 g. Design...
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Vintage Black Lacquer Box, Art Nouveau Style, Mid-20th Century
Located in ARMADALE, VIC
A Vintage Black Lacquer Box Description: Features an interior paper decorated with a botanical foliage pattern. It is designed with a hinged lid for storing small items like tea bag...
Wood
Antique Cardboard Noble Lady Present Box for Jewelry, Germany 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
An attractive antique cardboard presentation box made in Germany for a jewelry shop in Fürth. The lid features a colorful illustration of a noble lady, richly detailed and evocative ...
Fabric, Paper
Antique French Art Nouveau Carved Wooden Box with Cherry Decor ca. 1900
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
This exquisite Art Nouveau wooden box features a beautifully carved cherry motif on its lid, capturing the organic elegance typical of the early 20th century. The intricate relief wo...
Wood
$183Sale Price|30% Off
Hoffmann and Schlevogt Art Nouveau Malachite Glass Trinket Box
Located in Lucenec, SK
Fantastic example of a I. Heinrich Hoffmann Czech Art Deco malachite glass high relief reclining nude trinket box. It's done in beautiful green Czechoslovakian malachite glass with n...
Malachite
Gabriel Argy-Rousseau, Covered Box “Roses or Buttercups”, Designed in 1921
Located in Bochum, NRW
Gabriel Argy-Rousseau, a covered box “roses or buttercups”, designed in 1921. Pâte-de-verre made of clear glass and coloured glass (opaque yellow, red, green and violet) with stylise...
Art Glass
Vintage Marble Trinket Box Hand-cut with Flowers in Relief
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A fine and skillfully crafted stone trinket fashioned from slaps of natural solid marble. The lid is cut in relief with a delicate flower in green, brown and earthy natural color ton...
Marble
Antique English Victorian Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy by Saunders & Shepherd
By Cornelius Desormeaux Saunders and James Francis Hollings Shepherd
Located in Northampton, GB
FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING This late Victorian tortoiseshell tea caddy by Saunders & Shepherd dates to 1895 and is designed in an elegant sarcophagus form raised upon sterling silver b...
Sterling Silver
Art Nouveau Round Trinket Box, Metal & Paint, France, 1930s
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Charming round jewelry or trinket metal vanity box reflecting the glamour and style of the Art Deco movement and the Roaring Twenties. Originally designed to hold loose face powder o...
Metal
Egg style Faberge Enamel Sterling Silver Salimbeni
By Salimbeni, Franco Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Large egg on smooth tripod with 8-day mechanical skeletal Swiss movement with alarm, in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent fired enamel on guilloché and hand-paint...
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
René Lalique Rogers Crystal Powder Box
By René Lalique
Located in Franklin Park, IL
René Lalique Rogers Crystal Powder Box This powder box measures: 5.5 wide x 5.5 deep x 2 high Excellent Condition. We take our photos in a controlled lighting studio to show as mu...
Crystal
Antique Dresser or Jewelry Box with Enamel Portrait and Gilt Bronze Mounts
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This antique dresser or jewelry box is unsigned, but presumed to have been made in France in approximately 1890 in the period Art Nouveau style. The oval shaped box has a very well e...
Bronze, Enamel
Albert Chezal Art Nouveau Pewter Box with Lilac Decor, France circa 1910
By Etaind'art
Located in Atlanta, GA
Albert Chezal designed this stunning Art Nouveau, distinctly illustrated, dinanderie-pewter-covered box, handcrafted in France's Etains d'Art workshop around 1910. The large, hand-wr...
Metal, Pewter
Jugendstil Sugar Bowl Brass and Glass Conbination, Around 1908
Located in Wien, Au
Jugendstil sugar bowl brass and glass conbination around 1908. Brass polished and stove enameled. Original glass.
Brass
Art Noveade German Silver Jewelry Box 800
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Art Noveade 800 German Silver Jewelry Box A Box with an intricate pattern engraved on its surface. The pattern consists of swirls and floral ...
Silver
20th century sterling silver handbag-shaped box
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
20th century sterling silver handbag-shaped box Beautiful decorative silver box, with a central design of a rose and a frame of bows on both sides. Sealed Measures: Height: 7.5 centi...
Sterling Silver
Pill Box Octagonal translucent enamels on guilloché Sterling Silver Salimbeni
By Salimbeni, Renato Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Octagonal pill box in gold-plated 925/100 sterling silver with translucent enamels fired on guilloché also on all sides and with a two-tone circle on the lid. English Art Nouveau sty...
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
$1,408Sale Price|30% Off
French Art Nouveau Enameled Glass Jewelry Box, Hand-Painted, 1900s
Located in Lisbon, PT
This French Art Nouveau enameled glass jewelry box features hand-painted cherry fruits and leafy branches, capturing the romantic elegance of the early 20th century. Crafted in tra...
Brass, Enamel
1900 Rosewood Box Art Nouveau by Erhard & Soehne
Located in Marseille, FR
Box rosewood and brass inlay cover Art Nouveau by Erhard and Soehne, circa 1900.
Copper
Halcyon Days Fine Enamel British Pillbox National History Museum of Los Angeles
By Halcyon Days
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Stunning little porcelain box by Halcyon Days Enamels. The inside lid is inscribed "National History Museum of Los Angeles County 1913-1988." The bottom o...
Porcelain
$903Sale Price|20% Off
Lidded Box by Josef Hoffmann for Wiener Werkstätte, 1920s
Located in Purkersdorf, AT
Lidded cigarette tin – handmade. Designed by Josef Hoffmann for the Wiener Werkstätte – no markings (see photo for a comparable object with a signature) – also documented in the MAK ...
Fruitwood
Bronze Casket by Niels Dam Ravn, 1930s, Denmark
By N. Dam Ravn
Located in Værløse, DK
Sizeable Art Noveau Brass Casket made by Niels Dam Ravn in the later 1930s. * Lidded brass casket with a viking. Inner wood box. Signed NDR lower right on the lid. * Designer: Niels...
Brass