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.
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Majolica
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Marble
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Earthenware
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1860s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Earthenware
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Metal
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Majolica, Ceramic
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Pottery
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Metal
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Pottery
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Walnut
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Majolica, Ceramic
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1890s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Enamel, Gold
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Earthenware
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Earthenware
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Walnut
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Walnut
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1890s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Walnut
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Cut Glass
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Belgian Black Marble, Brass
1890s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1920s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Alabaster
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Walnut
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Brass
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Papercord
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1890s Belgian Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary African Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Malachite
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Stoneware
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Earthenware
Early 20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Glass, Mercury Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Earthenware
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Art Glass
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Faience
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Onyx, Ormolu
1870s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
1870s Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Pottery
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Silver, Enamel
Early 1900s Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze, Enamel
1910s Danish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica