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.
Early 20th Century Silver Sacred Heart Ex Voto with Cherub Angel, Antique Italy
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Handmade Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from thin, lightw...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Antique French Art Nouveau Silver Topped Walking Cane Stick 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a superb antique French Art Nouveau silver tau-handle walking stick, Circa 1890 in date. The striking stick features an ornate silver tau-handle embossed with lily pads and ...
Silver
Fratelli Toso Murano Millefiori Flower Mosaic Italian Art Glass Cabinet Vase
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Beautiful antique Murano hand blown Millefiori Murrina flower mosaic Italian art glass small decorative cabinet vase. The piece is documented to the Frate...
Murrine, Murano Glass, Blown Glass, Art Glass, Glass
Beautiful Silver Sacred Heart Ex Voto with Cherub Angel, Antique European, 1890s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Handmade Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from thin, lightw...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Louis Vuitton Encyclopaedia Britannica Library Trunk
Located in Northampton, GB
FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING A Louis Vuitton Encyclopaedia Britannica Library Trunk produced as part of a limited commission of one thousand examples for the...
Canvas
René Lalique 1912 Three Piece Clear Glass on Purple Foil Biches Brooch
By René Lalique
Located in Franklin Park, IL
René Lalique 1912 Three Piece Clear Glass on Purple Foil Biches Brooch This brooch measures: 4.25 wide x 0.75 deep x 1.25 inches high Excellent Condition. We take our photos in a ...
Foil
Antique Fire Screen, Art Nouveau, French, Fireplace Reflector, Copper, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique fire screen. A French fireplace reflector in planished copper and wrought iron, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900. A superb decorative piece, in the ...
Copper, Wrought Iron
Antique Large Sacred Heart Ex-Voto, Flaming Heart, PGR (Per Grazia Ricevuta)
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Handmade large Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from thin, ...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Beautiful Silver Sacred Heart Ex Voto with Cherub Angel, Antique European, 1890s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Handmade Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from thin, lightw...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Antique French Art Nouveau Umbrella Stand, Circa 1900
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
This rare and elegant French Art Nouveau umbrella stand, dating to circa 1900, is a remarkable example of turn-of-the-century decorative ironwork. Crafted in patinated cast iron, the...
Iron
Pair of Mid-Century Italian Liberty Night Stands Bedside Tables Walnut Glass Top
Located in Carimate, Como
Very elegant and refined Italian 1950s Mid-Century Modern design, pair of bedside tables with double front door, black glass top and beautiful wood veneer burl decors on the sides an...
Brass
Beautiful Silver Sacred Heart Ex Voto with Cherub Angel, Antique European, 1927
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Handmade Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from thin, lightw...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Lot of Two Silver Sacred Heart Ex Voto with Cherub Angel, Antique European 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Lot of two Handmade Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from t...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Antique Bentwood Wall Coat Rack by Thonet, Austria, 1920s
By Thonet
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
Elegant original early 20th century Art Nouveau bentwood wall coat rack N2 (M3.70) by Thonet, Vienna. Extremely rare unique piece. Good vintage condition. Dimensions: Width: 32 cm /...
Bentwood
Antique Dog catching Duck Figural Cigar Cutter, Austria, 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Early Metal Cigar Cutter, Austria, circa 1900s A rare and finely detailed cigar cutter in silver plate metal, crafted in the early 1900s or possibly earlier. This exceptional piece ...
Metal, Silver Plate
Jean-Michel Basquiat The Paris Review, 1982 (Basquiat Tuxedo)
By (after) Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat The Paris Review: 1982 The Paris Review book, featuring an interior spread of Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Tuxedo" (1982). Imagery features 8 detailed segments of thi...
Paper
Large Antique Catholic Reliquary Box Crucifix Pendant with 11 Relics of Saints
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This antique 19th Century metal reliquary is a finely handcrafted devotional object containing 11 third-class relics of saints, each identified with paper scrolls and set against a r...
Metal, Brass
Lot of Two Silver Sacred Heart Ex Voto with Cherub Angel, Antique European 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Lot of two Handmade Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from t...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Beautiful Silver Sacred Heart Ex Voto with Cherub Angel, Antique European Italy
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Handmade Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from thin, lightw...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Early 1900s by Guido Cora Italian Antique Terrestrial Globe
Located in Brescia, IT
1905 terrestrial globe Cast metal stand Excellent condition.
Metal
Alphonse Mucha's Documents Decoratifs (Complete in Four Portfolios)
Located in New York, NY
Suite of 72 lithographic plates on wove paper, many in color, plus expository pages (title page, half-title page, preface) and four covers. Published in Paris in 1902 by Librairie Ce...
Paper
Silver Lady Woman Ex Voto religious Folk Art, Antique European, 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A cute petite religious Ex Voto. I do not know what it is made of, thin and light filigree silver or silver plated metal. It is handmade, embossed an...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Antique European Pine and Marble Side Table or Nightstand
Located in Centennial, CO
A charming antique European (German or Eastern European) rustic pine nightstand topped with a Carrara marble slab that is removable. This piece offers ample storage with a drawer and...
Carrara Marble, Brass
Pair Art Nouveau Nightstands with marble top by Paul Alexandre Dumas, France ca.
Located in Meulebeke, BE
France / 1910 / pair of Nightstands / Paul Alexandre Dumas / wood, marble, bronze / Art Nouveau Luxurious pair of two wooden French Art Nouveau nightstands or bedside tables by Paul...
Marble, Bronze
Art Nouveau Italian Brass Double Bed, Early 1900s
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Large Italian double bed from the early 20th century. Fabulous quality object and gilded brass decoration. Bed decorated with plaques depicting female characters and neoclassical che...
Brass
Colmont Ft Paris Mother of Pearl French Opera Glasses With Leather Case, 1890s
Located in South Bend, IN
A stunning set of opera or theatre glasses in original leather case. By Colmont FT Paris France, Circa 1890s Gorgeous Mother-of-pearl and abalone inset on brass cylindrical body w...
Brass
Fireplace Doors Fire Screen Guard, Metal Copper Brass, Austria, Jugendstil, 1900
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
An antique and gorgeous pair of fireplace doors manufactured in Austria, circa 1900. The doors are made of a thin metal grid which are decorated with ...
Iron, Metal, Brass
Dice Cup
Located in Stamford, CT
Antique leather dice cup with 7 dice inset into the top, an oval floral design in front, early 20th century. European, likely German. The leather faded from age and use except on th...
Leather, Bakelite
Art Nouveau Fruitwood Inlaid Botanical Panel Folding Screen Room Divider French
By Émile Gallé
Located in Norwich, GB
A beautiful antique Art Nouveau period fruitwood three-fold screen room divider, inlaid with stylised botanical panels. French. Circa 1900. The screen has the original patina, which...
Boxwood, Olive, Walnut, Pine
19th Century Mother of Pearl and Repousse Gold Handle Pen with 14k Tip
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A beautiful vintage Fountain Pen - a lovely decorative piece for the desk, but also still fully functional. The handle is Mother of Pearl that leads into an elegant Gold design and ...
Gold
Early 20th Century Italian Art Nouveau Iron Pair of Single Beds
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
We offer this rare and fantastic pair of Italian single iron beds, made in the early 20th century during the Art Nouveau period. The beds feature a black iron frame. The elaborate a...
Iron
Antique Germany Cutlery Pocket Knife Nuremberg Beer Scene 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
We are pleased to offer a charming early 20th-century souvenir pocket knife produced as an advertising piece for the historic Jacob Kann Company of Nuremberg, Germany. Once a well-kn...
Metal, Brass
German Art Nouveau Oak Coat Rack with Mirror and Umbrella Stand
Located in Darmstadt, DE
This small German Art Nouveau coat rack in oak dates to around 1900 and shows the characteristic organic lines of the period. Its balanced design combines practical elements with ele...
Tin
The Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales, Retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch
By Edmund Dulac
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Quiller-Couch, Sir Arthur T., The Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales From The Old French. Garden City: Garden City Publishing, [n.d.]. Illustrated by Edmund Dulac. Octavo. In orig...
Fabric, Paper
Lot of Two Silver Sacred Heart Ex Voto with Cherub Angel, Antique European 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Lot of two Handmade Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from t...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Bent Walnut Coat Rack by Michael Thonet, France, Early 1900s
By Thonet
Located in Roma, IT
Stunning and sculptural Art Nouveau coat rack crafted in solid bent walnut. This refined piece was produced in the early 1900s in France and designed by Michael Thonet’s mastery in b...
Walnut
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Antique Glass Towel Rail. c.1910
Located in London, GB
An elegant early 20th century wall mounted glass towel rail. c.1910 Nickel plated brass wall mounts, connected by two clear glass tubes for draping towels over. Both practical and s...
Brass
Cigarette Case light blue cabochon sapphire and hand-engraved finishing Salimben
By Salimbeni, Giorgio Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Handbag cigarette case in 925/1000 sterling silver with black fire enamel. Opening with spring button. Size cm. 6.3 x 9.7 x 1.5. Weight gr. 215. Created in Art Deco style for Cartie...
Sterling Silver, Enamel
Large Antique Catholic Reliquary Box Crucifix Pendant with 16 Relics of Saints
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This antique 19th Century metal reliquary is a finely handcrafted devotional object containing 16 third-class relics of saints, each identified with paper scrolls and set against a r...
Metal, Brass
2 Art Nouveau metal hand painted extravagant single beds with flowers chalet sty
Located in Schöfflisdorf, CH
2 Art Nouveau metal hand painted extravagant single beds with flowers and faux wood even painted on the inside of the foot part. perfect for a chalet or alpine house .
Metal
Art Nouveau Bentwood Wall Coat Rack Thonet Vienna, 1879-1887
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Verviers, BE
Art Nouveau bentwood wall coat rack to Thonet, Vienna, Viennese wall hanger Thonet was included in the production program of the company Gebrüder Thonet around the Year 1879. Origi...
Bentwood
Antique Souvenir Pocket Knife unknown City View Scene 1900s Corkscrew & Blades
Located in Nuernberg, DE
We are pleased to offer a charming early 20th-century souvenir pocket knife produced as an Souvenir of a City in Germany. This vintage pocket knife features a relief of Church and a ...
Metal
Art Nouveau Bentwood Large Coat Rack /Umbrella Thonet Vienna, 1879-1887
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Verviers, BE
Art Nouveau bentwood coat rack attributed to Thonet, Vienna, Viennese coat/Umbrella hanger Thonet was included in the production program of the company Gebrüder Thonet around the Y...
Bentwood, Beech
Art Nouveau Lorgnette Opera Glasses Folding Spectacles Antique Austria 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A gorgeous old fashioned antique lorgnette with a refined design on the handle. This pair of eyeglasses or opera glasses feature a "folding" frames that overlap one another. The lens...
Gold Plate
Claude Lalanne, a Rare Gilt-Bronze Dragonfly Frame, France, C. 1985
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
Claude Lalanne (1925-2019) A rare gilt-bronze dragonfly frame, France C. 1985, Signed on reverse Cl. Lalanne Artcurial 25/450. Measures: 4" high x 3...
Bronze
Art Nouveau Brass Coat Hook
Located in Vienna, AT
Cast brass restored, made in Austria, circa 1900 Up to 3 available, price per piece.
Brass
1900s Italy Pair of Bedroom Armchairs Art Nouveau with Stool Hand-Carved Walnut
By Carlo Zen
Located in Vigonza, Padua
1900s Italy budoir, pair of bedroom armchairs Art Nouveau with stool in hand-carved walnut, restored and polished to wax. Made new upholstery...
Fabric, Walnut
F. Goldscheider - large woman bust Polychrome Terracotta - Art Nouveau signed
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Beautiful terracotta bust from the factory of Friedrich Goldscheider from the art nouveau period. Girl with flowers. Polychrome terracotta It represents a female bust with her head t...
Terracotta
La Plume, Special Issue Devoted to Alphonse Mucha
Located in New York, NY
Re-bound set of six consecutive issues of the renowned French magazine La Plume devoted to the work of Art Nouveau artist and graphic designer Alphonse Mucha. Founded in 1889 by Leon...
Paper
Extraordinary Carved Mahogany Full Bed With Swans
Located in Bridgeport, CT
An elaborately carved full bedstead with intricate swan carvings. The headboard with a gadrooned carved acanthus motif trim around the parquetry herringbone inlay. The arched headboa...
Mahogany
J.&J. Kohn - Koloman Moser - Stand - Beech
By Koloman Moser, Jacob & Josef Kohn
Located in Budapest, HU
This exquisite J & J Kohn music stand, designed by the renowned Koloman Moser in the early 1900s, is a quintessential example of Jugendstil artistry. Standing at 120 cm in height, 60...
Beech
Antique bed, France, circa 1900.
Located in Chorzów, PL
Antique mirror from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, France. This piece of furniture is in very good condition, after professional renovation. The upholstered elements have ...
Walnut
Antique Pocket Knife Nuremberg Water Fountain & Castle Scene 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
We are pleased to offer a charming early 20th-century souvenir pocket knife produced as an Souvenir of Nuremberg, Germany.. This vintage pocket knife features a relief of the famous ...
Metal
19th Century Viennese Jacob & Josef Kohn Attributed Bentwood Cradle
Located in Forney, TX
A rare original Viennese Art Nouveau period beechwood child's cradle, attributed to Austrian furniture maker and interior designer J. & J. Kohn (Jacob & Josef Kohn Company). Exqu...
Beech
Vintage walking stick with horse measuring tape in bamboo, metal ferrule France
Located in Valladolid, ES
Amazing walking stick with a built-in horse sizer, crafted from bamboo with a silver-plated metal ferrule, dating from the early 20th century. Bamboo was a popular wood at the time, ...
Silver Plate, Brass, Bronze
Adolf Loos Coatstand, Coatrack for the Looshouse in Vienna, Re Edition Brass
By Woka Lamps, Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Coat stand from the famous Looshouse, Michaeler-Platz, Vienna, originally fixed on the wall, for a free-standing Version, the base will be enlarged from now 300mm to 600mm. The upper...
Brass
English Brass & Iron Early 20th Century Large Single Bed
Located in Leicester, GB
A beautiful brass and iron bed frame from the early 20th century. The brass bed has an elegant design with fine squared spindles and a monogrammed oval decoration on the head and foo...
Brass
Beautiful Silver Sacred Heart Ex Voto with Cherub Angel, Antique European Italy
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Handmade Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from thin, lightw...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Borzoi Dog Companion for French German Doll Jumeau Kestner, Antique German
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A salon dog from Germany for your french fashion doll. Glass amber eyes with black pupils, black nose and wooden sticky legs. Lots of clean fluffy ...
Fabric, Fur, Wool, Glass, Wood
Beautiful Silver Sacred Heart Ex Voto with Cherub Angel, Antique European Italy
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Handmade Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from thin, lightw...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal