Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
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.
Mid-19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Fruitwood, Mahogany
Early 1900s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo
Late 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wicker, Rattan
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut, Burl
1910s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Lacquer
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Fruitwood
Late 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Faux Bamboo, Lacquer
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak
19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Glass
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Mirror, Wood
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Paint, Wood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Pine
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ebony, Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Reed, Wood
Late 19th Century Syrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
18th Century Indian Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Chestnut
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Birdseye Maple
1920s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Faux Bamboo
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
1860s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
2010s Brazilian Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Cherry
1890s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Rattan, Wood
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century Moroccan Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bone, Wood
Late 20th Century Philippine Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Mirror, Pine, Lacquer
Late 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Travertine
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Hardwood
Early 20th Century Dutch Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Pine
Early 20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Satinwood
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood, Walnut
20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Rattan
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Elm, Oak
Mid-19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak, Paint