Aesthetic Movement Furniture
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.
1850s Czech Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Blown Glass, Glass
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pottery
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver
1870s German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Glass, Stained Glass, Wood
Late 19th Century Danish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1890s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold, Enamel
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1990s Japanese Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cherry, Pine, Cut Glass
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal, Brass
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Paint
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood, Mirror
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather, Walnut, Burl
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Glass, Cherry
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1860s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
1860s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Danish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Giltwood
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Swedish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
1860s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze, Gold Leaf
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mirror, Mahogany
2010s American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
1890s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1870s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pottery
1880s Belgian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware, Majolica, Pottery
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1880s Belgian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut, Leather
Early 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Birch, Satinwood
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Wood
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Wood, Lacquer, Paint
1940s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metallic Thread
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Wood, Lacquer, Paint
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver