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Art Nouveau Sideboards

ART NOUVEAU STYLE

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

  • Sinuous, organic and flowing lines
  • Forms that mimic flowers and plant life
  • Decorative inlays and ornate carvings of natural-world motifs such as insects and animals 
  • Use of hardwoods such as oak, mahogany and rosewood

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.

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Style: Art Nouveau
Period: 1910s
Art Nouveau Buffet Sideboard, France, circa 1910.
Located in Chorzów, PL
A unique sideboard, France, circa 1910. Very good condition. Wood: walnut dimensions height 222 cm width 218 cm depth 51 cm
Category

1910s French Vintage Art Nouveau Sideboards

Materials

Walnut

French Art Nouveau Sideboard in Carved Walnut with Stained Glass, circa 1910
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Beautiful buffet / dresser / sideboard in walnut carved with various floral and fruit motifs: ivy, strawberries, reeds, thistles and quinces. Set with bronze handles carved with ber...
Category

1910s French Vintage Art Nouveau Sideboards

Materials

Bronze, Brass

Viennese Secession Sideboard by Koloman Moser for August Ungethum Special Order
Located in NOUVION-SUR-MEUSE, FR
Magnifique enfilade en Noyer sculpté, poignées et entrées de serrures en bronze massif de Koloman Moser pour August UNGETHUM vers 1910. Très beau travail de sculpture, plateau en ma...
Category

1910s Austrian Vintage Art Nouveau Sideboards

Materials

Walnut

Pair of Italian Art Nouveau Twin Sideboards, circa 1910
By Ernesto Basile, Eugenio Quarti
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Beautiful pair of twin buffets / dressers / sideboards in walnut, carved with olive branches. Each buffet is divided into two parts: - the upper part with double glazed door (bevelled glass), has 1 shelf and 1 niche; - the lower part has 2 drawers, 1 sculpted double-door cupboard and 1 shelf. Bronze handles. Keys present, locks OK. Art Nouveau (Stile Liberty), Italy, around 1910-1920. Italian work in the style of the productions of Ernesto Basile...
Category

1910s Italian Vintage Art Nouveau Sideboards

Materials

Bronze

Art Nouveau Sideboard
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Art nouveau bookcase in excellent original condition.
Category

1910s French Vintage Art Nouveau Sideboards

Materials

Wood

Original Italian Art Noveau Sideboard in Honey-Colored Walnut with Three Drawers
Located in Buggiano, IT
Original Italian art Noveau sideboard in honey-colored, walnut wood, with three drawers and three doors, internal shelves. It is very elegant and of an uncommon shape. Each carvin...
Category

1910s Italian Vintage Art Nouveau Sideboards

Materials

Walnut

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Art Deco French Wood Black Glass Buffet Sideboard Commode
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Pair of sideboards, circa 1960, Italy
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Located in Toronto, CA
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H 45.5 in W 72 in D 24 in
White Painted Sideboard Buffet, Sweden circa 1920
Located in Round Top, TX
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Fine Quality Figured Walnut French Provincial Sideboard Buffet Circa 1920
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
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French Large Art Deco Sideboard Macassar, 1940s
Located in Wiesbaden, DE
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Previously Available Items
Art Nouveau Sideboard by La Ruche in Carved Cherry Wood, France, 1911
By La Ruche, Maurice Allet
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Superb dresser / sideboard / buffet two bodies with side shutters in carved solid cherry. Very good manufacturing quality found in the furniture bronzes (handles, keyholes) with original designs and beautiful foundry; as well as in the door locks, the common locking of the drawers and the hinges of the side flaps. The sideboard consists of 2 parts: - upper part: a niche laterally perforated by braces, surmounted by a cupboard. Cupboard containing 1 shelf and closing with 2 glazed doors with cathedral glass. One of the doors is carved with a cascade of ivy leaves under which is the name of the cabinetmaking workshop and the year of manufacture: "La Ruche...
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1910s French Vintage Art Nouveau Sideboards

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Marble, Bronze

Art Nouveau Bookcase
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Art nouveau bookcase with brass fittings in excellent original condition.
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Art Nouveau Bookcase
Art Nouveau Bookcase
H 53.94 in W 30.71 in D 14.57 in
Italian Art Nouveau Sideboard Solid Oak from 1910, Original Brass Marble Drawers
Located in Buggiano, IT
Italian Art Nouveau sideboard, in original solid oak from 1910. Original brass handles, very rare hexagonal shape, with marble top and four drawers. Coming from an ancient sea villa ...
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1910s Italian Vintage Art Nouveau Sideboards

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Viennese Secession Sideboard by Thonet, circa 1910, Austria
Located in Brussels, BE
Viennese Secession sideboard by Thonet, circa 1910, Austria. Bentwood, tinted and varnished beech, brass details. One drawer, mirror and yellow marble. Measures: H 150 cm, W 100 c...
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1910s Austrian Vintage Art Nouveau Sideboards

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Impressive French Art Nouveau Brass and Bronze Tall Sideboard Buffet
Located in Paris, FR
Beautiful and impressive tall Art Nouveau credenza buffet, in two parts, (that can be separated from each other) made in solid oak with gorgeous stamped brass decorations in the shap...
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1910s French Vintage Art Nouveau Sideboards

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Brass, Bronze

Art Nouveau sideboards for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Art Nouveau sideboards for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage sideboards created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include case pieces and storage cabinets, tables and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Art Nouveau sideboards made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Italy pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original sideboards, popular names associated with this style include Louis Majorelle, August Ungethüm Kunstmöbel-Fabrik, August Ungethüm, and Galileo Chini. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for sideboards differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,375 and tops out at $35,771 while the average work can sell for $7,157.

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