In its sinuous lines and flamboyant curves inspired by the natural world, antique Art Nouveau furniture reflects a desire for freedom from the stuffy social and artistic strictures of the Victorian era. The Art Nouveau movement developed in the decorative arts in France and Britain in the early 1880s and quickly became a dominant aesthetic style in Western Europe and the United States.
ORIGINS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN
ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
ANTIQUE ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
Art Nouveau — which spanned furniture, architecture, jewelry and graphic design — can be easily identified by its lush, flowing forms suggested by flowers and plants, as well as the lissome tendrils of sea life. Although Art Deco and Art Nouveau were both in the forefront of turn-of-the-20th-century design, they are very different styles — Art Deco is marked by bold, geometric shapes while Art Nouveau incorporates dreamlike, floral motifs. The latter’s signature motif is the "whiplash" curve — a deep, narrow, dynamic parabola that appears as an element in everything from chair arms to cabinetry and mirror frames.
The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau was particularly influenced by the soft colors and abstract images of nature seen in Japanese art prints, which arrived in large numbers in the West after open trade was forced upon Japan in the 1860s. Impressionist artists were moved by the artistic tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking, and Japonisme — a term used to describe the appetite for Japanese art and culture in Europe at the time — greatly informed Art Nouveau.
The Art Nouveau style quickly reached a wide audience in Europe via advertising posters, book covers, illustrations and other work by such artists as Aubrey Beardsley, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha. While all Art Nouveau designs share common formal elements, different countries and regions produced their own variants.
In Scotland, the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh developed a singular, restrained look based on scale rather than ornament; a style best known from his narrow chairs with exceedingly tall backs, designed for Glasgow tea rooms. Meanwhile in France, Hector Guimard — whose iconic 1896 entry arches for the Paris Metro are still in use — and Louis Majorelle produced chairs, desks, bed frames and cabinets with sweeping lines and rich veneers.
The Art Nouveau movement was known as Jugendstil ("Youth Style") in Germany, and in Austria the designers of the Vienna Secession group — notably Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann and Joseph Maria Olbrich — produced a relatively austere iteration of the Art Nouveau style, which mixed curving and geometric elements.
Art Nouveau revitalized all of the applied arts. Ceramists such as Ernest Chaplet and Edmond Lachenal created new forms covered in novel and rediscovered glazes that produced thick, foam-like finishes. Bold vases, bowls and lighting designs in acid-etched and marquetry cameo glass by Émile Gallé and the Daum Freres appeared in France, while in New York the glass workshop-cum-laboratory of Louis Comfort Tiffany — the core of what eventually became a multimedia decorative-arts manufactory called Tiffany Studios — brought out buoyant pieces in opalescent favrile glass.
Jewelry design was revolutionized, as settings, for the first time, were emphasized as much as, or more than, gemstones. A favorite Art Nouveau jewelry motif was insects (think of Tiffany, in his famed Dragonflies glass lampshade).
Like a mayfly, Art Nouveau was short-lived. The sensuous, languorous style fell out of favor early in the 20th century, deemed perhaps too light and insubstantial for European tastes in the aftermath of World War I. But as the designs on 1stDibs demonstrate, Art Nouveau retains its power to fascinate and seduce.
There are ways to tastefully integrate a touch of Art Nouveau into even the most modern interior — browse an extraordinary collection of original antique Art Nouveau furniture on 1stDibs, which includes decorative objects, seating, tables, garden elements and more.
Antique Simpson Hall Miller Sterling Silver Lidded Cut Crystal Vanity Jar Pot 4"
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Art Nouveau Simpson, Hall, Miller Co Repousse sterling silver 925/1000 lidded cut crystal / glass vanity / powder / dresser jar or pot. Simpson Hall Miller & Co, Walling...
Sterling Silver
Antique I &EC Co Japan Hand Painted Porcelain Cobalt Blue Covered Ginger Jar
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique I &EC Co Japan Hand Painted Porcelain Cobalt Blue Covered Ginger Jar. Circa Early 20th Century. Measurements: 5" H x 4.75" Diameter
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Hand‑Painted Glass & Silver‑Plated Sweet Box, by GAB, Sweden
Located in Bochum, NRW
A refined early 20th‑century sweet container - used historically as a sugar bowl, bonbonnière, or decorative confectionery box - crafted in a poetic combination of delicately colored...
Brass
Ipsen's, Denmark. Ceramic Art Nouveau jar. 1920s/1930s.
Located in København, Copenhagen
Ipsen's, Denmark. Ceramic Art Nouveau jar. Model 662. 1920s/1930s. Marked. In excellent condition. Dimensions: Diameter 13.0 cm x Height 10.0 cm.
Ceramic
Austrian Art Nouveau Goldscheider Ceramic Vase with Female and Floral Decoration
By Goldscheider Manufactory of Vienna
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Austrian Art Nouveau Goldscheider Ceramic Vase with Female and Floral Decoration, circa 1900 A refined and highly decorative Austrian Art Nouveau ceramic vase by the renowned Goldsc...
Ceramic
Art Nouveau Nude Decorated Lidded Porcelain Jar, Limoges, French, Circa 1905
By Limoges
Located in Incline Village, NV
Uniquely decorated porcelain Limoges jar with a wide winged span nude woman and a duck flying out of her hair, perhaps beckoning her to join in the flight. Her legs and feet end as one "a la mermaid". She is quite beautiful and is holding a bouquet of flowers in front of her. The same image appears on the other side. She is hand painted with brown hair, skin tones, with white and black detail to the "butterfly like" double wings. The duck is painted brown and black. Two gold leaf bands circumvents the vessel at the bottom and two thirds up. A blue band above the gold band at the base completes the hand painted decoration of the exterior. The interior of the jar is painted a light colored lime green. The underneath is clearly marked "P L Limoges...
Porcelain
Jugendstil Baccarat Antique Art Glass Dandelion Vase, France
By Baccarat
Located in Rijssen, NL
Luxury at its finest, high-end glass dandelion vase for Baccarat, France. The vase - made out of art glass - is made from a clear glass, with yellow dandelions and green leafs on it...
Art Glass
Antique Floral Hand Painted Enameled Glass Biscuit Box, Art Nouveau, France
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Antique floral glass biscuit barrel / cookie jar with Art Nouveau Enamel Decoration, France 1890-1919 An antique biscuit jar of frosted, satin g...
Metal
Jugendstil Baccarat Antique Art Glass Dandelion Vase, France
By Baccarat
Located in Rijssen, NL
Luxury at its finest, high-end glass dandelion vase for Baccarat, France. The vase - made out of art glass - is made from a clear glass, with yellow dandelions and green leafs on it...
Art Glass
A Moorcroft "Blakeney Mallow" ginger jar, Art Nouveau-style pottery.
Located in Bishop's Stortford, GB
A Moorcroft "Blakeney Mallow" ginger jar, Art Nouveau-style pottery. The jar was designed by Sarah Brummell-Bailey and typically dates to around 2001. It features the characteristic ...
Pottery
Large 24" Tall Burmantofts Blue Glaze Terracotta Ceramic Urn Style Vase w/ Lid
By Burmantofts Pottery
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Large 24" Tall Burmantofts Blue Glaze Terracotta Ceramic Urn Style Vase w/ Lid
Ceramic
Ewer Circa 1900
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very nice ewer, carafe from the early 20th century. The body is made of chased glass while the handle and spout are made of pewter, a very rare element and one o...
Tin
Lalique "Verone" Crystal Bowl
By Lalique
Located in Mérida, YU
René Lalique became synonymous with French Art Nouveau decorative arts. René Lalique was born in 1860 and first began designing fine jewelry in Paris in 1881. Lalique pursued increas...
Crystal
Daum Nancy "Fleurs et Abeilles" Enameled and Etched Glass Vase
By Daum
Located in New York, NY
This French Art Nouveau enameled and etched "Fleurs et Abeilles" glass vase by Daum Nancy features an unusual and wildly undulating form that is countered neatly by the tightly executed landscape that decorates its organic curves, bulges, dips and valleys. Climbing from a deeply, darkly colored base upward to the bright, nearly translucent bright yellow rim of the vase are a field of ultra-finely rendered red orchid blooms with framing leaves...
Art Glass
Pair of Vintage Dakota Banjo Apothecary Candy Display Jar
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Rare pair of banjo candy jar. Vintage Dakota Banjo apothecary candy display jar / soda fountain drug store. A great addition to any collection. These a...
Art Glass
Art Nouveau Large Amphora Vase, Salviati Murano, Amber, Etched Floral Motifs
By Salviati
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Venetian early 20th century, age Art Nouveau, large amphora vase attributed Salviati Murano glass, amber color, etched with floral motifs.
Murano Glass
Lalique "Verone" Crystal Bowl
By Lalique
Located in Mérida, YU
René Lalique became synonymous with French Art Nouveau decorative arts. René Lalique was born in 1860 and first began designing fine jewelry in Paris in 1881. Lalique pursued increas...
Crystal
Hand Hammered Brass Vase or Jar with Rich Patina, Jugendstil, Early 20th Century
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This wonderful hand hammered brass vase or decorative cup from the Jugendstil period is rich in character. The ovoid form cup is raised on a stepped base; each are ornamented with a ...
Copper
Royal Dux Bohemia Pair of Organically Shaped Vases with Factory Stamp
Located in Verviers, BE
Royal dux bohemia pair of organically shaped vases with factory stamp Handcrafted and glazed earthenware. Beautiful glaze in brown and green tints. Perfect condition.. Please ...
Porcelain
Rare Danish L. Hjorth Large Lidded Jar Oxblood Red Glaze Man & Dog Motif ca 1930
By Gertrud Kudielka, Lauritz Adolph Hjorth, Jais Nielsen, Axel Salto
Located in Silkeborg, Silkeborg
Rare and large lidded jar from the Danish ceramic studio L. Hjorth. Most likely made ca 1930s. The jar features stylized figurines in ornamental movements and reminds of a mytholog...
Ceramic
Jar Sign: Le Verre Francais ( Decoration Muscats ), 1924, Style: Art Nouveau
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Logistics and International Shipping We provide a comprehensive export service so that your only concern is enjoying your acquisition. • Door-to-Door Service: Pieces located in our A...
Art Glass
Art Nouveau Cosmic Catfish Vase by Galileo Chini
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Cosmic Catfish Vase by Galileo Chini.
Earthenware
Lalique "Verone" Crystal Bowl
By Lalique
Located in Mérida, YU
René Lalique became synonymous with French Art Nouveau decorative arts. René Lalique was born in 1860 and first began designing fine jewelry in Paris in 1881. Lalique pursued increas...
Crystal
Antique Barbotine Majolica Pot with Lid Organic Art Nouveau
Located in Poperinge, BE
Beautiful antique pot with lid, barbotine or majolica pottery, the pot has the shape of a tree trunk and the handle of a branch, typical of the organic shapes and colours that are ty...
Majolica
Lalique "Verone" Crystal Bowl
By Lalique
Located in Mérida, YU
René Lalique became synonymous with French Art Nouveau decorative arts. René Lalique was born in 1860 and first began designing fine jewelry in Paris in 1881. Lalique pursued increas...
Crystal
Antique Biscuit Box, by Armand Fresnais, Art Nouveau Hand-Painted Glass, France
By Armand Fresnais
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Antique Silver-plated Biscuit Box ,By Armand Fresnais, Art Nouveau Hand-Painted Glass , France 1877-1927 A gorgeous Art Nouveau cake container/ biscuit box. Thick, hand-painted glas...
Silver Plate
Blown Glass Soufflé Rafraichissoir with Vines Decor End of the 19th Century
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Great refreshment cup or spittoon in white glass blown to the mouth. Decor engraved with grape leaves and bunches of grapes. Art Nouveau France. Late 19th century.
Glass
Lidded Canister with Handle, Elaborate Repoussé & Enamel Work, Munich Secession
By Ludwig Karl Maria Vierthaler
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Crafted by Ludwig Vierthaler for the Josef Winhart metalwork company in Munich, this gorgeous and singular lidded canister displays the bravura repoussé work that the artist is known for. Winhart hammered elaborate Secession-style swirls and geometric patterns into the sides and lid of this piece, and enriched the lid with midnight blue and ruddy brown enamels. The entire piece has a subtle hammered finish and a streaky patina that gives the surface great depth of color. Interestingly, Vierthaler spent years as a metalsmith at Tiffany and Company in New York...
Copper, Enamel
Ipsens, Denmark, Beautiful Art Nouveau Jar with Glaze in Orange and Green Tones
Located in København, Copenhagen
Ipsens, Denmark, beautiful Art Nouveau jar with glaze in orange and green tones. 1920s-1930s. Model number 739. Marked. In excellent condition. Dimensions: D 15.0 x H 18.5 cm.
Ceramic
Ipsens Denmark, Two Art Nouveau Jars in Hand-Painted Glazed Ceramic, 1920s
Located in København, Copenhagen
Ipsens Denmark. Two Art Nouveau jars in hand-painted glazed ceramic. 1920s. In excellent condition. Marked. Model 595 measures: H 12.5 x D 10.5 cm. Model 216 measures: H 9.0 x D...
Ceramic
Nils Emil Lundström for Rörstrand, Antique Lidded Jar, Early 20th Century
Located in København, Copenhagen
Nils Emil Lundström (1865-1960) for Rörstrand. Antique lidded jar in glazed ceramics. Beautiful orange glaze and flower in gold on the lid, early 2...
Ceramic
Painted ceramic jar with parrot by Johann Maresch. Austria, circa 1900.
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Painted ceramic jar with parrot by Johann Maresch (1821-1914). Austria, circa 1900.
Ceramic, Paint
Lalique "Verone" Crystal Bowl
By Lalique
Located in Mérida, YU
René Lalique became synonymous with French Art Nouveau decorative arts. René Lalique was born in 1860 and first began designing fine jewelry in Paris in 1881. Lalique pursued increas...
Crystal
French Art Nouveau Ceramic Covered Jar by Rupert Carabin
Located in New York, NY
A French Art Nouveau ceramic covered jar by Rupert Carabin, depicting a female nude wrapped around a gourd form, with a deep green glaze. All of C...
Ceramic
Oraganis Ceramic Vase Beautiful Glaze in Shades of Brown and Green, circa 1930
Located in Verviers, BE
French ceramic vase, pitcher vase, France, circa 1930 handcrafted and glazed earthenware with horizontal ribs. Beautiful glaze in brown and green tints Perfect condition. We sp...
Ceramic
Ceramic Vase or Pitcher Beautiful Glaze in Shades of Brown and Green, circa 1930
Located in Verviers, BE
French ceramic vase, pitcher vase, France, circa 1930 handcrafted and glazed earthenware with horizontal ribs. Beautiful glaze in brown and green tints Perfect condition. ...
Ceramic
Art Nouveau Style Colored Glass Jar With Silverplate Lid
Located in Bridgeport, CT
An art glass jar with relief tree branch design having a silver-plate collar and lid. Unmarked. Dimensions: 3 1/4" W x 6" H Condition: Please see detail photos. Signs of age include...
Silver Plate
Set of five Glazed ceramic jars signed Choisy-le-Roi. France, early 20th century
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Set of five Glazed ceramic jars signed Choisy-le-Roi. France, early 20th century.
Ceramic
Art Nouveau jug in English silver and cut crystal
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Jarra modernista en plata inglesa y cristal tallado Esta exquisita jarra Art Nouveau, una pieza que irradia elegancia y sofisticación, combina la transparencia del cristal tallado co...
Crystal, Sterling Silver