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.
Set Of Two Josef Hoffmann Chair No.406 Fledermaus For Jacob & Josef Kohn 1900s
Located in Čelinac, BA
Set of Two Josef Hoffmann Chair No.728 FLEDERMAUS For Jacob & Josef Kohn 1900s
Fabric, Wood
Fledermaus Chair No.406 By Josef Hoffmann For Jacob & Josef Kohn Austria 1900s
Located in Čelinac, BA
Fledermaus Chair No.728 By Josef Hoffmann For Jacob & Josef Kohn Austria 1900s
Fabric, Wood
Extremely rare and beautiful Otto Wagner Chair by Thonet 1901
By Woka Lamps, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Otto Wagner
Located in Vienna, AT
Stained beachwood, seat and back with fabric, seat height 46cm (18,11') Presented first at the Expo Paris 1900, in a setting by Josef Hoffmann for the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschulle Li...
Beech
$878Sale Price|26% Off
Art Nouveau Chair, Walnut Wood, Restored Upholstery, Germany, 1900
Located in Hannover, DE
An Art Nouveau chair whose shape and design perfectly reflect this art period. Finely crafted walnut wood covered with a dark, fine glaze. This chair has been artfully restored and r...
Wood, Nutwood
Original Wiener Werkstätte, Josef Hoffmann Chair, 1912
By Josef Hoffmann, Woka Lamps, Wiener Werkstätte
Located in Vienna, AT
An excellent example of the more decorative phase of Josef Hoffmann, before the WW1. Carpenter Jakob Soulek for the Wiener Werkstätte. Exhibited first in 1912 at the Museum für Kunst...
Pearwood
Austrian tub chairs by Joseph Hoffmann for Wittmann, 1980s
Located in MIlano, IT
Austrian tub chairs by Joseph Hoffmann for Wittmann, 1980s Set of four armchairs with painted wooden frames. The frames feature decorative wooden balls, also painted. The seats and b...
Fabric, Wood
ART NOUVEAU CHAIR by THONET + JACOB & JOSEF KOHN WIENER WERKSTATTE Austria 1900
Located in PARIS, FR
An exceptional and extremely rare Model N°6009 chair with armrests, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, in dark brown bended & lacquered wood, with superb backrest and airy armrests in folded woo...
Wood
Pair of Original Josef Hoffmann & Wiener Werkstätte Chairs 1904 Jugendstil
By Josef Hoffmann, Woka Lamps, Wiener Werkstätte
Located in Vienna, AT
Josef Hoffmann designed in the early stages of the Wiener Werkstätte apartments for the Wittgenstein Family in Vienna and Berlin. The significant pattern from this period were the st...
Fabric, Wood
Josef Hoffmann attr. Pair of Extraordinary Chairs 1905-10 Jugendstil Art Nouveau
Located in Vienna, AT
A pair of extraordinary chairs in the style of the early Josef Hoffmann furniture. The significant skids were used by Hoffmann in the early years of the Wiener Werkstätte from 1903 o...
Fabric, Wood
Original Josef Hoffmann, Chair, Model# 330 from 1900
Located in Vienna, AT
Exhibition: chairs for a dining room in: Winter Exhibition of the Austrian Museum for Art and Industry, Vienna, late 1901; exhibition in Saint Louis, 1904, beechwood, stained to simu...
Beech
Set of Original Josef Hoffmann / Otto Prutscher Attr. Chairs
By Woka Lamps, Otto Prutscher, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Vienna, AT
Very elegant and comfortable chairs attributed to Josef Hoffmann or Otto Prutscher. Has been rennovated over a while, the fabric is partly stained. Can be sold separately.
Wood
Original Josef Hoffmann & Kohn Jacob Chair from 1914
By Josef Hoffmann, Woka Lamps, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Vienna, AT
A very rare undocumented chair by Josef Hoffmann and J&J Kohn. An identical chair with leather upholstery is available as well.
Bentwood
Art Nouveau Chairs, Fabric and Iron, Sculptural Design, Belgium 1910s
Located in London, England
Sculptural statement chairs hailing from Brussels. Very much in keeping with works by Horta et al, displaying exquisite details and line work throughout. Belgium 1910s. H 125cm x ...
Iron
Set of 6 Bistro Chairs by Jacob & Josef Kohn, 1890 Austro-Hungarian Empire
Located in Santa Gertrudis, Baleares
Exceptional and rare set of 6 Bistro chairs by Jacob & Josef Kohn from the end of the 19th century. Bentwood chairs with seats and backs carved with be...
Bentwood
$2,194Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set of 4 Thonet dining chairs model 17
By Thonet
Located in Ceglie Messapica, IT
Set of 4 Thonet dining chairs model 17 This exceptional set of four bentwood beech chairs, produced by the renowned manufacturer Thonet, features the iconic Model 17, more commonly ...
Bentwood, Straw, Beech
$9,964Sale Price / set|20% Off
Wittmann - Josef Hoffmann - Fledermaus - Chair (6) - Beech
Located in Budapest, HU
This remarkable set of six **Fledermaus chairs**, designed by the visionary Austrian architect **Josef Hoffmann** in the early 1900s and masterfully crafted by **Wittmann**, represen...
Leather, Beech
Church Chair Faldstool Art Nouveau Santo Antonio Cathedral, wax polished
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Early 20th century church chair Art Nouveau kneeling stool from St. Anthony's Cathedral In walnut and shaped seat, polished with wax. Measures cm: H 46/...
Walnut, Beech
Early 20th Century, Set of 8 Danish Art Nouveau Dining Chairs, Burl & Velvet
Located in Odense, DK
A refined set of eight Danish dining chairs made in burl wood, dating to the early 20th century, circa 1900–1915, a period closely associated with Danish Art Nouveau, also known as S...
Fabric, Textile, Velvet, Wood
$1,352Sale Price|20% Off
1900s Marcel Kammerer Chair No.6517 for Thonet, Austria
Located in Praha, CZ
- newly upholstered in Backhausen fabric - carefully refurbished and finished with ebony shellac - Height of seat 47 cm.
Fabric, Wood
Josef Hoffmann Armchair: Viennese Secession Design, 1902
Located in Klosterneuburg, AT
This piece is a significant example of furniture designed by Josef Hoffmann, created as a variation of the furnishings for the apartment of Dr. Salzer. Its strict, architectural desi...
Softwood
Late 19th Century Pair of Bentwood B-9 Armchairs by Jacob and Josef Kohn
Located in Vigonza, Padua
An Austrian (Vienna) pair of bentwood B-9 armchairs by Jacob and Josef Kohn circa 1870. An original iconic chair. This is the favourite chair of architects especially from "Le Corbus...
Bentwood
Original Josef Hoffmann and Wiener Werkstätte Chair Early 20th Century 1903
By Woka Lamps, Josef Hoffmann, Wiener Werkstätte
Located in Vienna, AT
A very rare chair from the early stages of the Wiener Werkstätte. Variations were displayed at the Neustiftgasse showrooms of the Werkstatte and were also placed at the Brauner Mansi...
Fabric, Beech
$1,470Sale Price / set|25% Off
Harnisch and Co chair Wiena 1880s Set of Two
Located in Čelinac, BA
Wiena 1880s chair by Harnisch Co
Bentwood
Spanish Art Nouveau Antoni Gaudi Style Pair of Carved Ashwood Side Chairs
Located in Barcelona, ES
A pair of Art Nouveau chairs made of carved ashwood and upholstered with their original floral velvet fabric. These stylish hand carved chai...
Velvet, Wood
Calvet Stool by Antoni Gaudí Re-Edited by BD Design
By Antoni Gaudí, BD Barcelona Design
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Introducing a true masterpiece of design, the Calvet stool by the renowned Spanish architect, Antoni Gaudi. Manufactured circa 1970 by BD Design, this stool is a testament to Gaudi'...
Oak
Bentwood Chair By Harnisch & Co. Wiena 1880
By Thonet
Located in Čelinac, BA
Harnisch & Co. Benrwood Chair Wiena 1880
Bentwood
Art Nouveau Set of Six Chairs in Solid Oak. Vienna, c. 1910.
Located in Vienna, AT
ceptional Set of Six Viennese Art Nouveau Solid Oak Chairs – Vienna, circa 1910 We are pleased to present an exquisite set of six original Viennese Art Nouveau chairs, crafted in so...
Leather
$4,200 / item
Chair No. 3 - Vrksa Series - Hand Painted
By Raka Studio
Located in Cape Girardeau, MO
A single-seater chair designed and produced by Raka Studio and finished in collaboration with Hamza Khan Shirwani. Made in solid ashwood by bending wood....
Bentwood, Paint
Original 1902 Armchair #507, Wilhelm Schmidt, Prag Rudniker
By Wilhelm Schmidt, Woka Lamps
Located in Vienna, AT
Secessionist armchair, designed by the Student of Josef Hoffmann Wilhelm Schmidt, Vienna, c. 1902, for the Prag-Rudniker basketwork factory, elm, woven cane, height 84 cm, width 54 c...
Elm
Calvet Bench by Antonio Gaudi, Modernist, Spanish
By Antoni Gaudí
Located in Barcelona, ES
Solid varnished oak. A company that has always attributed such great importance to the author of the designs could never forget the great figures in history. That is why the BD cat...
Oak
Calvet Chair, by Antoni Gaudi, Solid Oak, Spanish, Modernist
By Antoni Gaudí
Located in Barcelona, ES
Gaudí designed a chair for the Casa Calvet. One that was rich in form and representative of his timeless creativity. The Calvet chair features outstanding artisanal ornamental carvi...
Oak
Thonet, rare pair of chairs, early 1900s
By Thonet
Located in Uppsala, Uppsala
Rare pair of bentwood chairs manufactured by Thonet in the early 20th century. Both chairs have a nice faux painted wood finish that is early but most likely not original to the chai...
Bentwood
Arts and Craft Art Nouveau Set of 8 Bentwood Chairs Signed Thonet, 1900
By Thonet
Located in Saarbruecken, DE
Set of 8 Thonet chairs, bentwood with viennese braid. all signed. As found condition. All chairs a solid and stable. 4 of the braids are perf...
Bentwood, Braid
Originals 1905 of the Period Pair of Josef Hoffmann and Jacob &Josef Kohn Chairs
By Woka Lamps, Jacob & Josef Kohn, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Vienna, AT
Very early and important design by Josef Hoffmann for J&J Kohn; horseshoe-shaped stand, each with two spheres under the corner joints of the seat, beechwood, light stained, polis...
Bentwood
Josef Hoffmann Wiener Werkstätte Armchair Restored Re-Upholstered Leather
By Wiener Werkstätte, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Era Art Nouveau, early 20th century museal modernist Wiener Werkstätte armchair restored re-upholstered leather by Josef Hoffmann. Solid walnut wood structure with original patina, with cast bronze...
Bronze
$2,239Sale Price|20% Off
Art Nouveau Folding Children's Chair, Beech & Spruce, Germany, c. 1900
Located in Darmstadt, DE
Practical children's chair that can easily be placed at a normal table. The chair dates from the Art Nouveau period and is made of beech wood / spruce wood and upholstered with hand-...
Leather, Beech, Spruce
Batlló Chair, By Antoni Gaudí, Varnished Oak, Spanish Modernism
By Antoni Gaudí
Located in Barcelona, ES
Solid varnished oak. A company that has always attributed such great importance to the author of the designs could never forget the great figures in history. That is why the BD cata...
Oak
Original of the Time, Rare J.&J. Thonet Stool, Late 19th Century, 1880
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Woka Lamps
Located in Vienna, AT
Wonderful and rare Thonet stool, published already in the 1888 Thonet Catalogue on page 23 as Salon-Stockerl Nr 5 zum Polstern Material Beechwood black stained with gold colored not...
Fabric, Beech
$1,828Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set of Two Art Nouveau Oak Chairs, circa 1900
Located in Darmstadt, DE
Elegant pair of Art Nouveau chairs crafted in solid oak around 1900. The chairs display the graceful lines and flowing organic forms typical of the Art Nouveau period, with finely cu...
Oak, Fabric
Unusual Antique Art Nouveau Quality Mahogany Inlaid Child’s Chair
Located in Suffolk, GB
Unusual Antique Art Nouveau quality mahogany inlaid child’s chair having a superb quality mahogany shaped back with a pretty inlaid top rail, fantastic quality carved centre splat, s...
Mahogany
Richard Riemerschmid ‘Musikzimmerstuhl’ for Vereinigte Werkstätten, Munich
By Richard Riemerschmid, Vereinigte Werkstätten München
Located in Dronten, NL
Exceptional limited-edition ‘Musikzimmerstuhl’ designed by Richard Riemerschmid and produced by the original maker, Vereinigte Werkstätten für Kunst und Handwerk, Munich. On the oc...
Leather, Beech
Batlló Bench In Solid Oak by Antoni Gaudí Spanish modernist design, Barcelona
By Antoni Gaudí
Located in Barcelona, ES
Solid oak. A company that has always attributed such great importance to the author of the designs could never forget the great figures in history. That is why the BD catalogue of contemporary creations has always included those by admired classical masters. Antoni Gaudí (1852/1926) is, without doubt, the most internationally well-known Spanish architect. But is not only his buildings and brilliant architectural solutions that have travelled the globe. His integrated conception of architecture led him to pay attention, not only to structural calculations, but also to all the decorative elements, including furniture, that would form part of the building. The admiration felt by modern designers for the furniture designed by Gaudí has not gone unnoticed by BD which was the first company to rescue them from history by embarking on their serial production using traditional art and craft techniques and the same materials –varnished solid oak– in order to reproduce all the rich detail displayed by the originals when they were first produced. The Batlló bench...
Oak
Jugendstil, Art Nouveau, Liberty 2 Chairs, 1900, France, Sign: J.P. Legastelois
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Chairs Jugendstil, Art Nouveau, Liberty If the client wants, they can be polished again. Jules-Prosper Legastelois (1855–1931) was a prominent French sculptor and medalist, born on M...
Bronze
Original Rare Otto Wagner Chair by Thonet Vienna 1901 Jugendstil
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Woka Lamps, Otto Wagner
Located in Vienna, AT
Stained beachwood, seat and back with leather, seat height 46cm (18,11") Lit.: "Gebogenes Holz", Asenbaum /Hummel 1979, p:29.
Leather, Beech
Pair of Art Nouveau chairs in walnut, engraved and carved
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Provenance: Villa Freya, Asolo and since 1970s Artistic & myArtistic collections Important and elegant pair of Art Nouveau chairs of Central European and Habsburg influence, made in...
Walnut
Set of 6 Chairs in bentwood by Josef Hoffmann for Mundus Vienna Austria, 1900s
By J & J Kohn & Mundus, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Beirut, LB
Rare Josef Hoffmann set of Chairs for Mundus Vienna Austria 1907-1914 Beautiful antique chair by Josef Hoffman for Mundus Vienna Austria. The chairs are in exceptionally good quality...
Cane, Bentwood
19th Century Art Nouveau Thonet Chairs by J. Hoffmann, 1st edition - CZ ca. 1906
By Josef Hoffmann, Thonet
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Very rare pair of the first edition(!) Art Nouveau chairs Mod. 643 from the early 20th century, produced by Thonet in Bohemia around 1906. Designed by none other than the world famou...
Leather, Bentwood
Original Otto Prutscher & Gebrueder Thonet Vienna Jugendstil Chair, 20th Century
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Woka Lamps, Otto Prutscher
Located in Vienna, AT
Designed for the Café Heinrichshof opposite to the States Opera House in Vienna, ruined in 1945.
Hardwood
German Art Nouveau Solid Oak Chair with New Upholstery, circa 1900
Located in Darmstadt, DE
This German Art Nouveau chair, crafted around 1900, is made from solid oak and has been professionally restored and newly upholstered. The design is restrained and architectural, wit...
Fabric, Oak
Pair of French Art Nouveau Side Chairs in Solid Mahogany Sprig Seat Green Velvet
Located in Vigonza, Padua
1910s pair of French Art Nouveau side chairs in solid mahogany, original spring seat, green velvet upholstered, only wax-polished. The up...
Mahogany
Paolo Buffa Ladder chair for Chiavari, Italy 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Beautiful ladder high-back chair designed by Paolo Buffa for Chiavari in 1950s Italy. Ebonized hard wood with slim cane seat. Chairs are extremly light and firm. Patina and conditio...
Cane, Hardwood
$1,371Sale Price / set|20% Off
Art Nouveau Walnut Chairs, Polished Finish, Reupholstered, c. 1900
Located in Darmstadt, DE
Beautiful pair of chairs from the Art Nouveau period in solid walnut wood. The chairs are reupholstered and covered with new fabric. In very good restored condition.
Walnut
Pair of Antoni Gaudi, Modernist, Solid Varnished Oak, Batllo Spanish Chairs
By Antoni Gaudí
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Batllo chairs designed by Antoni Gaudi, circa 1906. Manufactured by BD furniture in Barcelona. Solid varnished oak Measures: 47 x 52 x 74 H cm.
Wood
Original Chair Kolo Moser and Josef Hoffmann Attr. Jugendstil, Wiener Werkstätte
By Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, Wiener Werkstätte
Located in Vienna, AT
An armchair with design-vocabulary used by Kolo Moser and Josef Hoffmann in their early works from 1901 on.
Nutwood
Set of Ten wooden Dinning Chairs out of Ratibor Castle City of Roth, Germany
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A set consisting of 10 chairs from the Castle Ratibor in the city of Roth, Bavaria. These chairs were used in the castles dining room and other rooms for events many years. Purchased...
Wood
Émile Gallé "Ombelle" Side Chair
By Émile Gallé
Located in New York, NY
Gallé first designed the Ombelle chairs to great critical acclaim at the 1900 Exposition Universelle. The chairs were inspired by the umbellifer family. The species in this family, i...
Cane, Walnut
$530Sale Price|20% Off
art nouveau oak stool chair Jugendstil Rabenau embroidery a. 1910 exc condition
Located in Landshut, BY
solid built oak Jugendstil CHAIR made in Rabenau / Saxonia upholstered with care - fitted with hand embroidered jute fabric Rabenau's chairmaking tradition is almost 400 years ol...
Wool, Jute, Oak
Extremely Rare Chair from the Grabenkaffehaus, Vienna 1, Graben, Original
By Woka Lamps, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Vienna, AT
Extremely rare chair from the Grabenkaffehaus, Vienna 1, Graben 29a - Trattnerhof Stained and polished beechwood, upholstery not original.
Beech
Antoni Gaudi, Jugendstil, Solid Oak Batllo Spanish Chairs
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Batllo chair designed by Antoni Gaudi, circa 1906 and manufactured by BD furniture in Barcelona. Solid varnished oak Measures: 47 x 52 x 74 H.cm ...
Oak
$1,097Sale Price / item|20% Off
Artnouveau Black Wood and Vienna Straw Desk Chairs, 1910
Located in Roma, Lazio
Superb Art Nouveau chair all in a beautiful black lacquer and a beautiful Vienna straw, in perfect "Patina". The chairs have been reinterpreted with this glossy black, giving the set of chairs an extraordinary elegance. Well designed, original and very modern, knowing that it is a set of chairs from 1910...
Beech, Straw