After the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the eighth century, Islamic Spain became a cultural mix of influences that shaped both private homes and religious spaces. Moorish design was the name given to this style, which evolved through the 15th century with vibrant tile work, horseshoe arches and lavish ornamentation, most visible at sites such as Granada’s Alhambra and the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. Moorish furniture was often similarly ornate, and featured pieces inlaid with wood, ivory and bone.
When European designers began studying Moorish art and architecture in the early 19th century, it led to a Moorish Revival. Appropriating the style’s decorative flourishes and architectural elements, it promoted a romantic view of Islamic design. Travelers could bring home a memento of what they witnessed in the Middle East, a trend that aligned with a fad for themed interiors. Men’s smoking rooms arranged with ottomans, divans and settees and inlaid tables were especially popular, as were cafés where coffee was served amid bead curtains and colorful floor mats. (Handwoven rugs are a centerpiece of Moorish interiors.) Octagonal rooms with domed ceilings were created for wealthy homes, frequently with furnishings like pipe stands, filigree plasterwork and arched doorways. The horseshoe arch is an iconic attribute of Moorish architecture that, in addition to Spain, can be found in Sicily, Morocco and elsewhere.
Several late 19th to early 20th-century movements featured Moorish touches. The American and English Aesthetic Movement, for example, borrowed liberally from global decorating styles, as seen in furniture designed by Lockwood de Forest, a New York-born artist who mixed Eastern and Western forms. The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau also references the elegant use of geometry in Moorish design, with Milanese Art Nouveau furniture designer Carlo Bugatti drawing inspiration from the style. The Arts and Crafts movement, which prized expressive yet simple design, incorporated Moorish influences; hand-painted furniture and tile work created by William De Morgan, a British designer and potter who made furnishings for the likes of Morris & Co., were informed by techniques from Moorish Spain.
Find a collection of Moorish lighting, decorative objects, folk art and more furniture on 1stDibs.
Vintage Moroccan Red and Gold Embossed Leather Padfolio
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Moroccan Red and Gold Embossed Leather Padfolio. Vintage Red Rust Orange Leather 22k Gold Embossed Hand Painted Moroccan Book Cover Portfolio. This is a vintage handcrafted h...
Leather
Polished Brass Islamic Moorish Style Desk Inkwells Set
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Early 20th century desk set, rare and great quality Mamluk Cairoware style, silver and copper inlaid brush and inkwell holder and ink blotter rocker, features a wood base with ornate...
Brass
Vintage Islamic Dagger Style Letter Opener in Hand-engraved Brass
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Large artisan made hand-tooled/engraved dagger style paper knife in solid brass. It comes in a decorative sheath also in hand-engraved solid brass. It was made in either Turkey or an...
Brass
$275Sale Price|63% Off
H 4.25 in W 14.5 in D 9.5 in
Victorian Bronze Inkwell, Embossed Design, Germany, Late 1800s
Located in Savannah, GA
Bronze inkwell intricately embossed with scroll work. Features include a pen vest and back tray and double inkwells with griffins on the back gallery. A continental piece possibly Au...
Bronze
Vintage Leather and Gilt Metal Desk Set
Located in New York, NY
Vintage desk set dating to 1973 with finely crafted letter box in red leather with extensive neoclassical gilt metal mounts, plus two calendar holders. Apparently unsigned. Of the ...
Metal
$175Sale Price|30% Off
H 8.67 in W 0.67 in D 0.67 in
Letter opener in the shape of a knife with an embossed silver handle and large m
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Letter opener in the shape of a knife with an embossed silver handle and masks. Metal: Silver. Origin: European. Brand: Unknown. Weight: 39.42 grams. Dimensions: 22...
Metal
$275 / set
H 6.75 in W 10.75 in D 1.25 in
Vintage Solingen German Desk Scissors & Letter Opener Set with Red Leather Case
Located in San Diego, CA
A finely crafted vintage desk set from Solingen, Germany, comprising a pair of precision steel scissors and a matching letter opener, housed in its original red leather sleeve. Known...
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
$414 / set
H 0.79 in W 2.96 in D 13.47 in
Ghidini 1961 Axonometry Pen and Cards Desk Trays Set in Polished Brass
By Ghidini 1961, Elisa Giovannoni
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Trays in brass. The compositional scheme of this family of small trays is the axonometric isometric projection of two parallelepipeds which creates a three-dimensional optical effect...
Brass
$1,155Sale Price|30% Off
H 4.75 in W 6.01 in D 6.01 in
AUSTRIAN 1920 Art-Deco Desk Inkwell In Cut Polished Glass And .800 Sterling
Located in Miami, FL
A Viennese Austrian art deco desk inkwell. This is a beautiful desk inkwell created in Vienna Austria during the art deco period, between the 1918 and 1922. This Viennese inkwell wa...
Crystal, Silver, Sterling Silver
Hermes Vintage Leather and Bronze Desk Magnifying Glass
By Hermès
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Vintage Hermes Leather and Bronze Desk Magnifying Glass Elegant gilt bronze magnifying glass with black leather handle stamped Hermes Paris from th...
Bronze
Ghidini 1961 Axonometry Desk Trays Set in Polished Brass
By Elisa Giovannoni, Ghidini 1961
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Trays in brass. Dimensions for trays: 35.4 x 23 x 2H cm; 23.5 x 7.5 x 2H cm; 12.5 x 7.5 x 2 H cm.
Brass
Early 20th Century Polished Brass Renaissance Style Inkwell
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
An antique ink stand, made of polished brass, completely in Renaissance style, with richly pieced scroll motifs. The inkwell has two removable ink we...
Brass
$12,500
H 7.29 in Dm 4.93 in
Ancient Islamic Persian Khurasan Silver Inlaid Bronze Caligraphy Inkwell 1200
Located in Portland, OR
An important Islamic Khurasan bronze and silver-inlaid inkwell & cover, Eastern Persia, Circa 1200. The inkwell of cylindrical form and having a shallow dome top cover with a tall knopped finial and inlaid with a twin band of scrolled silver. The base of the dome and the rim of the cover having bands on interlaced silver inlay, the inkwell having three loop handles. The body of the inkwell having two bands of silver inlaid Naskh script, between the bands are twin panels...
Silver, Bronze
$525Sale Price|30% Off
H 1.66 in W 4.38 in D 1.66 in
Stamp box in rosewood with embossed silver applications and set on four feet
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Stamp box in rosewood with raised silver applications and resting on four feet. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Brand: javali II Title. Weight: 148.09 grams. Dimensio...
Silver
Vintage Moroccan Photo Album with Camel Desert Embossed
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Moroccan leather photo album with Arabian camel desert scene embossed. Middle Eastern Egyptian revival with laced edges. Brown, red and camel co...
Leather