Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
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.
Mid-20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
1890s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Gold, Enamel
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Brass
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Stoneware
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Earthenware
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Wicker, Wood
1970s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1870s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Silver
Early 1900s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1910s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Metal
Mid-20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Metal
1910s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Metal
Mid-20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Metal
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Metal
1910s Danish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze
Early 1900s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Giltwood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Crystal
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1950s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Pine
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Pottery
Early 1900s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Giltwood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Walnut
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Walnut
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Stoneware
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Lead
Mid-20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Gold, Silver
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
1970s Swiss Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Walnut
1920s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Terracotta
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Papercord
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Stoneware
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Stoneware
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Brass
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Enamel
1870s Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Opaline Glass
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Stoneware
2010s American Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Enamel, Ormolu
1870s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Opaline Glass
2010s American Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Brass, Enamel
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic