After the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the eighth century, Islamic Spain became a cultural mix of influences that shaped both private homes and religious spaces. Moorish design was the name given to this style, which evolved through the 15th century with vibrant tile work, horseshoe arches and lavish ornamentation, most visible at sites such as Granada’s Alhambra and the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. Moorish furniture was often similarly ornate, and featured pieces inlaid with wood, ivory and bone.
When European designers began studying Moorish art and architecture in the early 19th century, it led to a Moorish Revival. Appropriating the style’s decorative flourishes and architectural elements, it promoted a romantic view of Islamic design. Travelers could bring home a memento of what they witnessed in the Middle East, a trend that aligned with a fad for themed interiors. Men’s smoking rooms arranged with ottomans, divans and settees and inlaid tables were especially popular, as were cafés where coffee was served amid bead curtains and colorful floor mats. (Handwoven rugs are a centerpiece of Moorish interiors.) Octagonal rooms with domed ceilings were created for wealthy homes, frequently with furnishings like pipe stands, filigree plasterwork and arched doorways. The horseshoe arch is an iconic attribute of Moorish architecture that, in addition to Spain, can be found in Sicily, Morocco and elsewhere.
Several late 19th to early 20th-century movements featured Moorish touches. The American and English Aesthetic Movement, for example, borrowed liberally from global decorating styles, as seen in furniture designed by Lockwood de Forest, a New York-born artist who mixed Eastern and Western forms. The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau also references the elegant use of geometry in Moorish design, with Milanese Art Nouveau furniture designer Carlo Bugatti drawing inspiration from the style. The Arts and Crafts movement, which prized expressive yet simple design, incorporated Moorish influences; hand-painted furniture and tile work created by William De Morgan, a British designer and potter who made furnishings for the likes of Morris & Co., were informed by techniques from Moorish Spain.
Find a collection of Moorish lighting, decorative objects, folk art and more furniture on 1stDibs.
Monumental Moorish-Style Inlaid Wood Mirror, Early 20th Century
Located in Houston, TX
Tall rectangular wall mirror framed in extensively inlaid wood, incorporating geometric banding, pierced lattice panels, and repeating star-and-cross motifs. The stepped pedimented c...
Bone, Mirror, Wood, Walnut
$760Sale Price|47% Off
Vintage Moroccan Hand Made Arched Vanity or Wall Mirror with Brass Inlay
Located in Plainview, NY
A vintage arched Moroccan vanity or wall mirror, handmade of natural bone and engraved with beautiful tribal designs. The mirror frame is inlaid in bra...
Brass
White Shell Inlaid Antique Middle Eastern Damascene Damascus Mirror 66"
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Levantine Middle Eastern Moorish Damascene antique Mirror, Late 19th Century. White shell abalone Inlaid Middle Eastern Mirror. Antique Middle Eastern Moorish mirror in the Turkish Syrian Ottoman style. Sensational large Levantine finely inlaid with white shell, each piece of inlay is out lined with pewter wire. The intricate design crown over a rectangular frame surrounded with hand carved wood border, the mirror is flanked by two ornate ornaments, all resting on two inlaid feet. This mirror is one of the best levantine mirror...
Walnut, Shell, Abalone
Very Large Oriental Mirror In Marquetry, 20th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Very large mirror in the oriental style, with carved wooden decoration, geometric marquetry of wood, mother-of-pearl and bone, Moorish arch, cartouche with stylized Arabic inscriptio...
Bone, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
19th Century Damascene Mirror With Bone Inlay & Silvered Metal Decoration
Located in Reading, Berkshire
A Beautiful Early 19th Century Highly Decorative Damascene Wall Mirror. Hand Crafted With Bone Inlaid & Silvered Metal Decoration. Would Suit A Modern or Period Home, The Mono...
Metal
1990s Moorish Syle Gilded Metal Wall Mirror
Located in Marbella, ES
1990s Moorish Syle Gilded Metal Wall Mirror
Metal
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations
Located in Marbella, ES
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations
Mirror, Wood
Vintage Moroccan Mirror Hand Painted with Red and Amber Moorish Design
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Moroccan mirror, hand painted, wooden Moorish window shaped mirror. Beautiful hand crafted mirror in a traditional hand painted Mooris...
Mirror, Wood, Paint
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations
Located in Marbella, ES
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations
Mirror, Wood
$4,950 / set
Pair of Pierced Crest Courting Mirrors
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Pair of carved and painted courting mirrors with soulful patina. An interesting combination of French form and Moroccan decoration. Executed in the ear...
Glass
$870Sale Price|40% Off
Vintage Moroccan Mirror with Two Doors in Moucharabeih Design
Located in Plainview, NY
Beautiful vintage two doors mirror featuring Moucharabeih traditional hand-paint design with lovely details and warm colors. This mirror will be a perfect addiction to your hallway, ...
Wood, Paint
Vintage Moroccan Mirror Hand Painted with Red Moorish Design
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Moroccan mirror, hand painted, wooden Moorish window shaped mirror. Beautiful hand crafted mirror in a traditional hand painted Mooris...
Mirror, Wood, Paint
$23,628 / set
Pair of 19th Century French Marquetry Wooden Mirrors
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Pair of unusual 19th Century French marquetry wooden mirrors. Circa 1880.
Mirror, Wood, Ebony
Moorish Style Hand-Carved Wood Mirror, Polychrome Decor, Italy, 1960
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Venetian Moorish style wood carved composition polychrome decorated mirror. Heavily carved and hand-painted, decorated with flowers, tulips, fleurs-de-lys and leafs. Heavy mirror.
Composition
$3,840Sale Price|20% Off
Intricately Inlaid Large Antique Moorish Style Mirror
Located in Hopewell, NJ
A stunning Moorish style mirror with amazing inlay work of bone, ebony, mother of pearl and exotic wood.
Wood
La Barge Giltwood Wall Mirror
By La Barge
Located in Bradenton, FL
Mid-century La Barge Moorish Style decorative Wall Mirror. Striking mirror characterized by its intricate design & elegant craftsmanship. Features a gold color arch frame inspired by...
Mirror, Wood
Antique South European Mirror with Moorish Influences
Located in Baambrugge, NL
Antique South European mirror with Moorish influences, painted zinc and aged weathered mirror glass, so that it is not really possible to look in the mirror. Dimensions: 159.5 x 7...
Mirror, Wood
Damascene Moorish Decorative Inlay Tea Table With Matching Wall Mirror
Located in Reading, Berkshire
Damascene Moorish Decorative Inlay Tea Table With Matching Wall Mirror Featuring A Repetitive Khatam Marquetry of Geometric Decorative Patterns 1910's Mirror Height 85.5cm Width 56...
Wood
Moorish Style Moroccan Incised Bone Mirror with Brass Border, 1920's
Located in Stamford, CT
Moroccan Moorish style bone and brass arched mirror. The bone incised concentric circle decoration. And colored with white diamonds against a black background. All enclosed in a tack...
Brass
1980s Hand Oainted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations
Located in Marbella, ES
1980s Hand Oainted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations
Wood
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations
Located in Marbella, ES
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations
Mirror, Wood
Jacques Philippe Imberton, Oriental-Style Enameled Mirror
By Jacques-Philippe Imberton
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This superb mirror with polychrome enamel decoration is an exceptional piece inspired by Nasrid art, representative of the architectural and decorative forms of the Alhambra Palace. Mr. Philippe Imberton is, at the present time, the king of enamel; he sows it on the glass, with a prodigal and brilliant hand, early by large plates, sometimes by light veins, but in such a way as to always produce the happiest decorative effects. Article by Louis Enault in La Presse, published on September 25th, 1884. The geometric and vegetal patterns are a real innovative achievement in the glass enameling industry. Arranged on a rectangular mirror, the enamels are elegantly composed and colored to form a Nasrid-inspired decoration, representative of a Mudejar architecture, and manifesting the cultural and artistic exchanges in the Iberian Peninsula in the 12th and 16th centuries. The outline of enamels in the form of a horseshoe arch is a typical element of Arabic-Andalusian architecture, visible from early Christian churches to converted mosques. The horseshoe arch is supported by very thin columns with a concave base and molded rings, a unique type of column that appears only in the Alhambra Palace and indicates the passage to a sacred or royal place. The capital is divided into two bodies, the first of which is cylindrical and has a voluptuous floral decoration. Above, a prism decorated with a plant frieze with a rounded base delicately curves the whole mirror. I have rarely seen more power combined with greater skill. Article by Louis Enault in La Presse, published on December 17th, 1880. The talent of the enameler is rendered by the richness of the polychrome ornamentation of the vegetal patterns, notably by the arabesques of the polylobed arch, that is to say small contiguous arches, each ending in a pointed arch, also polylobed. These arches also evoke the muqarnas vault, one of the most impressive decorative elements among the ornamentation used in the Alhambra. The alfiz, the frame that surrounds the outside of the arch, is decorated with intricate bands of red and yellow floral filigree. The entire portico is framed by regular and harmonious friezes, decorated with vegetal motifs and structured by lines of small white flowers. Six wild pomegranate flowers, also known as balaustes, are framed on a white enamel background by the eight-pointed star, a recurring figure throughout Islamic art. The flowers are slightly open and accompanied by small pomegranate seeds, a connotation of fertility and the literal symbol of the city of Granada, where the Alhambra is located. The decoration is also characterized by four mirrored fleur-de-lis, as if to express the meeting of the two monotheistic influences in Granada. We can see the extent of refinement in the detail of the rhinestone fixtures that attach the glass mirror to a wooden support. While the representation of human figures in Muslim art is prohibited, the reflections of faces in the mirror naturally thwart the ban. One can read in an article of the Arts Industriels, published in La Presse on September 25, 1884, some lines notifying a mirror preceding ours: It will not displease the women either to find themselves beautiful by reflecting their fresh faces in this pretty oriental mirror...
Enamel
1980s Hand-painted Moorish Style Wall Mirror with Iron Decorations
Located in Marbella, ES
1980s Hand-painted Moorish Style Wall Mirror with Iron Decorations
Iron
Damascene Moorish Decorative Inlay Wall Mirror With A Repetitive Khatam Pattern
Located in Reading, Berkshire
Damascene Moorish Decorative Inlay Tea Table With Matching Wall Mirror Featuring A Repetitive Khatam Marquetry of Geometric Decorative Patterns 1910's We have a matching table in a...
Wood
$2,713 / set
Pair Of White Moorish Revival Metal Wall Mirrors
Located in Bruton, GB
A striking and very large pair of painted metal Moorish Revival mirrors distinguished by their dramatic architectural silhouettes and intricate ironwork detailing. Each mirror is cro...
Metal
Jackson & Graham attributed. A fine quality Moorish over mantle or wall shelf.
By Jackson & Graham
Located in London, GB
Jackson and Graham attributed. A fine quality Moorish mahogany over mantle or wall shelf, with carved floral decoration to the central upper pediment and a display shelf below. Seven...
Boxwood, Walnut
Late 20th Century Ornate Large Scale Resin Mirror, Circa 1990s
Located in Miami, FL
Late 20th century Ornate large scale Resin mirror. Circa 1990s Features a large Syroco style frame mimicking Asian inspired carved wood finished with an antique gold patina and a s...
Mirror, Resin
$18,500 / item
Rare Parchment and Copper Mirror by Carlo Bugatti
Located in Montreal, QC
Rare parchment and copper embossed mirror by Carlo Bugatti. inlaid with pewter brass and walnut.
Parchment Paper
Moorish Style Mosaic Inlaid Two Light Mirror
Located in Queens, NY
Middle Eastern Moorish-style (19th/20th Century) monumental wall mirror with elaborate geometric inlay and spindle design frame with a pediment top.
Mirror
Moroccan Moorish Mirror Tessellated Stone by Maitland Smith.
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Moroccan Moorish mirror tessellated marble stone by Maitland Smith. Monumental Moroccan style mirror by Maitland Smith, tessellated marble stone...
Travertine, Marble, Stone
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations
Located in Marbella, ES
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations
Mirror, Wood
Post Modern Moorish Hart Associates Iron & Brass Cathedral Wall Mirror
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
Wonderful Hart Associates post modern cathedral mirror in brown with auburn highlights and brass hardware. Brass accent corner buttons wrapped with br...
Brass, Iron
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations in red colors
Located in Marbella, ES
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations in red colors
Glass, Wood
ANTIQUE HAND CARVED & PAiNTED BURMESE LIBERTY'S LONDON STYLE OVERMANTLE MIRROR
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale stunning Antique Liberty's of London style hand carved wall mirror made in India after the traditional Burme...
Mirror, Wood
Old large oriental mirror in engraved and polychromed wood; beveled mirror
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Old large oriental mirror in engraved and polychromed wood; beveled mirror small paint losses
Wood
1980s Hand Painted Wooden Wall Mirror Imitating Moorish Building Architecture
Located in Marbella, ES
1980s Hand Painted Wooden Wall Mirror Imitating Moorish Building Architecture
Mirror, Wood
1980s Wooden Wall Mirror Imitating Hand Painted Moorish Building Architecture
Located in Marbella, ES
1980s Wooden Wall Mirror Imitating Hand Painted Moorish Building Architecture
Mirror
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations in blue colors
Located in Marbella, ES
Hand-painted Moorish Style Wooden Wall Mirror with Decorations in blue colors
Mirror, Wood