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.
Hand-Painted Porcelain Arabian Camel Figurine by Fitz and Floyd
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Hand painted porcelain collectible Fitz and Floyd resting Nubian camel figurine. Beautifully detailed Arabian camel, the camel is kneeling in rest and ...
Porcelain
Orientalist Figural Cold Painted Bronze
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Antique orientalist bronze with an impressive composition depicting a female warrior with a spear, a parrot on a tree stump, and a monkey with a fruit bowl all with the original cold...
Bronze
Bronze Moor Sculpture 19th Century Style
Located in Atlanta, GA
Bronze Moore sculpture, believed to be Italian, in the 19th century style, but probably executed in the mid 20th century.
Bronze
A Stellmacher, Terracotta Bust, Arab, 19th Century
By Riessner, Stellmacher & Kessel
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Rare orientalist bust in polychrome terracotta of an Arab, bearing the mark R St K, for Riessner, Stellmacher and Kessel, as well as the number 1525 The features are very fine, maki...
Terracotta
$28,950Sale Price|35% Off
19th Century Lifesize Bronze Bust of Othello after Gaston Veuvenot Leroux
By Gaston Vuevenot Leroux
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A large and impressive French 19th century life-size bust depicting Othello, the North African Moor of Venice character in the 1603 play written by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), a...
Bronze
Large Majolica Ceramic Bust Planter or Vase of a Woman with Flowers, Italy
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A large colorful polychrome hand-made ceramic Italian Moorish bust vase or planter of a woman with a flower turban crown. Handmade and glazed in brilliant reds, greens, and yellows, this sculpture depicts the head of a lady wearing a glazed red crown topped with bright red bulbs. She wears circular yellow earrings, red lipstick, and a red necklace...
Ceramic, Paint
Large Antique 19th Century Bronze Moorish Warrior Sculpture Figure Henri Plé
Located in London, GB
Large Antique 19th Century Bronze Moorish Warrior Sculpture Figure Henri Plé French, 19th century Height 111cm, width 54cm, depth 30cm This striking late 19th-century bronze by Henr...
Bronze
$556Sale Price|20% Off
1920s Bronze Clad Sculpture of a Seated Moorish Camel
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
1920s Bronze Clad Sculpture of a Seated Moorish Camel, Realistically modeled figure of a seated camel with Moorish saddle. Unmarked.
Composition, Bronze
Middle Eastern Egyptian 20th Century Carved Wood Mami Wata Standing Figure
Located in Queens, NY
Middle Eastern Egyptian 20th Century carved and painted wood Mami Wata figure in realistic form featuring incised black hair, piercing eyes, a form-fitting r...
Paint
Pair Franz Bergmann Austrian Bronze Figures in Moorish Brackets, Early 20th c
By Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)
Located in Austin, TX
Two good Franz Bergmann Austrian cold painted bronze figures now mounted in highly architectural Moroccan Moorish style carved and inlaid wood brackets, early 20th century, Austria a...
Bronze
Egyptian Woman With Urn, Orientalist Spelter, Signed, Late 19th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Large subject in patinated spelter representing an Egyptian woman in a long tunic and wearing a crown with a bird, presenting an urn/offering in her hands Sculpture signed in the fo...
Spelter
Austrian Bronze Sculpture by Franz Bergman
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cold painted Austrian bronze sculpture by Franz Bergman depicting a carpet trader. The piece shows great attention to detail and craftsm...
Bronze
$8,500
Moorish Bronze Man Bust
Located in Queens, NY
Middle Eastern Moorish style bronze bust of a man with a turban on round shaped base (19/20th Cent.).
Bronze
Murano Glass Centerpiece by Giancarlo Signoretto, Italy, 1980
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Smart Venetian centerpiece, signed Signoretto and dated 1980 : very important unique piece ! Handles: Two moors black heads with turbans.: it's a ...
Art Glass
Late 19th Century Vintage Boho Plaster Bust of Moorish Man
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Infuse your space with eclectic charm using this vintage boho plaster bust of a Moorish man. Crafted with intricate detail and bohemian flair, this piece adds a touch of cultural int...
Plaster
Hollywood Regency Cast Polished Brass Standing Stag Sculpture, 1960s
By Sarreid Ltd.
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Gorgeous and substantial, striking tall iconic 1960s Hollywood Regency vintage Sarreid style cast brass standing deer sculpture with large antlers. Large and heavy vintage midcentury solid hollow cast brass stag buck deer...
Brass
Moroccan Glass Perfume Bottle Sprinkler with Metal Overlay
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Handcrafted Moroccan Moorish amber painted glass perfume bottle or rose water sprinkler with raised embossed silvered metal floral design over amber glass. The pressed glass bottle in Art Deco, Art Nouveau style is oval shape with curved sides and hand decorated with embossed metal silvered overlay. This has a long metal top spout that unscrews. This is a recycled vintage French perfume...
Metal
Orientalist Pair of Polychromed Plaster Arabesque Figures
Located in Houston, TX
Orientalist pair of polychromed plaster arabesque figures. Finely detailed pair of Orientalist polychromed plaster Arabesque or Moorish figures. Thi...
Plaster
Cold Painted Orientalist Vienna Bronze, Young Boy w/Large Urn, Bergmann Foundry
Located in Petaluma, CA
This highly detailed cold painted bronze was meticulously executed by the premier maker of Vienna bronzes, Franz Bergmann. The foundry signature is boldly impressed under the boy's ...
Bronze
Antique Asian Bronze Large Camel Toy on Wheels 19th C
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
A scene from Ramakian or Ramayan, the Indian epic Rama and Sita. Large and heavy Antique Indian Temple toy metal camel, bronze camel on wheels. Camel with r...
Bronze
Pair of fine 19th century Orientalist male and female figures by Eugène Cornu
By Eugène Cornu
Located in New York City, NY
Exquisitely sculpted with meticulous attention to detail, these finely chased metal sculptures by Eugène Cornu offer a remarkably realistic rendition. The male figure is depicted as...
Metal
Picault - Dalila, Signed Bronze Sculpture, Late 19th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Delilah, patinated bronze sculpture: bust of a woman, very expressive and realistic of the biblical character Delilah is a female character known from the Old Testament, mainly for ...
Bronze
Orientalist Cold Painted Vienna Bronze Boy on Camel by Franz Bergmann, ca. 1900
Located in Petaluma, CA
This Orientalist bronze was done by Franz Bergman and does bear his signature. Meticulously cold painted and highly detailed make this one of his best examples. The camel and the boy...
Marble, Bronze
Cold Painted Austrian Orientalist Man on Rug in Prayer, Bergmann, ca. 1915
Located in Petaluma, CA
This very colorful and exotic bronze is typical of the work of Franz Bergmann. While it does not bear his foundry mark, it has all the ear marks of his work. The subject, the qualit...
Bronze
Large Wooden Sculpture, Moor With Dragon, 19th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Large black-tinted wooden sculpture of a Moorish woman carrying a shell, a dragon at her feet. The eyes and teeth are made of mother-of-pearl. Some missing parts (butcher's t...
Wood
Orientalist Patinated Bronze Figure of a Turkish Young Man
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Moorish Turkish man dressed in Ottoman Empire-style costume and turban. An orientalist Moorish patinated cast bronze figure of a standing guard on stand. (Missing something in his ha...
Bronze
Bronze Resting Camel Sculpture on Marble Stand French School
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
French School of an Egyptian Middle Eastern Camel Sculpture on Marble Stand. Large and heavy art Deco Style Bronze Resting Camel on White Marble Stand Sculpture. Boasting a dark pati...
Bronze
Cold Painted Vienna Bronze Young Boy, Signed Bergmann Foundry, ca. 1900
Located in Petaluma, CA
This highly detailed cast and and cold painted Vienna bronze was made by the premier maker of this genre, Franz Bergmann. Signed with his foundry mark on the base. That style base u...
Bronze
A Miniati, Arab Warrior, Signed Orientalist Bronze, Early 20th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Orientalist bronze with a brown patina, representing an Arab in motion, a rifle in his hand, hiding in the folds of his clothing. This sculpture is signed on the base Miniati and...
Bronze
Orientalist Cold Painted Vienna Bronze Group, 4 Figures on Carpet, ca. 1900
Located in Petaluma, CA
This colorfully cold painted Vienna bronze brings to the viewer a lovely little scene. The gentleman standing on a carpet is explaining something to his 3 other countrymen who are re...
Bronze
Moroccan Antique Bronze Cover with Brass Etched Decor
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Very handsome large-scale handcrafted cover. Large handmade Moroccan ceremonial brass vessel for covering wedding presents, hand-forged in Fez. Perfect as center piece for food cove...
Brass, Bronze
Ea Leroy, Cameroonian, Orientalist Bronze Sculpture, Early 20th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Cameroonian: very beautiful bronze sculpture with brown patina signed EA Leroy Emile Leroy is a traveling artist: in 1923, he joined the workshop of Jean Boucher at the Ecole des ...
Bronze
Viennese Cold-Painted Orientalist Bronze Group by Franz Bergman
By Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)
Located in London, GB
Viennese cold-painted Orientalist bronze group by Franz Bergman Austrian, c.1900 Height 12cm, width 15cm, depth 9cm This small but intricately crafted and designed bronze group ...
Bronze
Pair of Large Orientalist Bronze Figures by Emile Pinedo and Marcel Debut
By Émile Pinedo
Located in London, GB
A pair of large Orientalist bronze figures by Emile Pinedo and Marcel Debut French, Late 19th Century Arabe en Marche: height 65cm, width 42cm, depth 28...
Bronze