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.
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Walnut
18th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Earthenware
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
1880s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Majolica, Ceramic
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Metal, Ormolu
Early 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 19th Century English 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
Terracotta
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Stoneware
1870s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Stoneware
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Earthenware
19th Century Czech Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Cut Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Brass
1870s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Austrian Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1860s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ironstone
1890s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Walnut
Early 20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Glass, Mercury Glass
Late 19th Century English 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
1950s Chinese Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Terracotta
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Pottery
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Wood
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Earthenware
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Silver
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Belgian Black Marble, Brass
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Stoneware
1890s Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Terracotta
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Pottery
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Slate, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Leather
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Silver, Enamel
1870s Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Glass
1880s Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
1870s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
19th Century Chinese Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
1890s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
1930s Belgian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Decorative Objects
Fruitwood