Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
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.
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Bronze
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Ironstone
Early 20th Century Austrian Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Ceramic, Majolica
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Ceramic
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Pottery
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Majolica
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Earthenware
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Metal
Mid-20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1890s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Enamel, Gold
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
Early 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1890s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Earthenware
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Ceramic
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Slate, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Earthenware
1870s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Pottery
Early 1900s Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Bronze, Enamel
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
19th Century Czech Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Cut Glass
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Earthenware
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Silver, Enamel
19th Century Chinese Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Bronze
Early 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Ceramic
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Art Glass
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Faience
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Terracotta
20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Glass
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Bronze
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Majolica, Ceramic
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Ceramic
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Art Glass
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Bronze
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Pottery
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Earthenware
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Ironstone
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Ceramic, Majolica, Faience
1890s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Ceramic
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
18th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Pottery
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Silver
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vases and Vessels
Ceramic