Aesthetic Movement Furniture
AESTHETIC MOVEMENT
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.
Style: Aesthetic Movement
Color: Gold
American Aestheticism, Griffoul Foundry Sculptural Bronze Bookends, Early XX C.
By M. Peinlich
Located in New York, NY
A charming set of bronze bookends. One of the bookends depicts a figure of a young girl with a questioning face expression, holding a bouquet; and the other a cupid, who peeks around...
Category
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Antique Vase Coalport England Hand Painted with Jeweling and Raised Gilt
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A charming vase by the storied English firm of Coalport. This sweetie features 2 handles, and an interesting hand painted scene with river, mountains, flora fauna accented with white...
Category
1890s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Enamel, Gold
Aesthetic Bronze Dog Candlesticks
Located in Hudson, NY
Aesthetic Bronze Dog Candlesticks
Category
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Pair of porcelain “swallow” vases , L'Escalier de Cristal, France, 1890
Located in PARIS, FR
Beautiful pair of Chinese porcelain vases. On a blue background of stylized clouds, two cartouches display a design of pairs of swallows flying among flowering branches. The reverse ...
Category
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Fine Bronze Bust of a Man in Manner of Sir Jacob Epstein (British 1880-1959)
By Jacob Epstein
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Fine Bronze Bust of a man in the manner of Sir Jacob Epstein (British, 1880-1959), artist unknown. This beautifully executed green-patinated bronze somewhat resembles the style of ...
Category
20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Single Large Gilt Bronze Curtain Tie-Back
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Elegant single bronze (gilded with galvanic process) large tie-back for a large curtain, collected on one side, or for belt or scarf.
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Jaeger LeCoultre Vendome Atmos Clock
Located in Mérida, YU
A beautiful Jaeger LeCoultre mid century Vendome Atmos clock. This piece looks wonderful on a desk in a study, or on a mantelpiece or table. Very elegant. ...
Category
1970s Swiss Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Gold Plate
10 Antique Mintons Porcelain Raised Gold Aesthetic Movement Luncheon Plates
By Minton
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A set of 10 richly gilt porcelain luncheon or dessert plates.
By Mintons.
In an Aesthetic Movement numbered pattern with raised gold and gold jeweling throughout.
Each marked to t...
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Petite French Enameled & Gilt Bronze Aesthetic Artist Palette Motif Frame
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Petite French Enameled & Gilt Bronze Aesthetic Artist Palette Motif Frame
France, circa 1880s
Diminutive in size, with exceptional attention to detail and design. The french bron...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Fine Aesthetic Movement Ormolu Porcelain Tiered Étagères, End Tables
Located in Forney, TX
A pair of fine gilt bronze ormolu mounted porcelain tiered étagères. Decedent French Aesthetic Movement styling, circa 1890, brilliant bronze doré suppo...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Aesthetic Movement Carriage Clock, France, 19th Century
Located in PARIS, FR
Fine aesthetic movement clock in cloisonné enamel and gilded bronze, decorated with polychromed birds and flowers, and geometric gilded ornaments on a ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze, Enamel
Antique Aesthetic Bronze-Mounted Ceramic Vase
Located in New York, US
Our very large stoneware vase with polychrome glazed finish in the Aesthetic style measures 21.5 in (54.6 cm) tall and features gilt bronze mounts including berries and a pierced rim...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Pair of Antique French Sconces
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
O/3746 - Antique French pair of sconces in massive bronze, with the original glasses (rare !). They are so special!
And the price is good because I would like to close my business ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Five Bronze Curtain or Clothes Hanger
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
How unsightly are the coat hangers in the hall ! Yet they are used to hang jackets when entering, especially in winter.
So I prepared these hangers using ancient bronze rosettes, su...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Moorish horseman bronze, return from the hunt, Signed Barge Fils
Located in Nice, FR
Important Bronze Moorish Rider, Return from the Hunt, Signed Barge Fils
French work, end of the 19th century (1M)
Rider returning from the hunt with game h...
Category
19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Pair of Belgium Bronze Busts by Georges Van Der Straaten
Located in Belmont, MA
The Belgium artist Georges van der Straaten (born 1856) designed the two bronze busts at the end of the 19th century. One is titled "Bergere" (shepherdess), the other one "Pierette"....
Category
1890s Belgian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Pair of Antique Gilded Bronze Curtain Tie-Backs
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
O/4740-5 - Beautiful pair of curtain tie-backs, perfect to support the curtains or belt or scarf in an elegant and functional way. They have been gilded with galvanic process: wonder...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
1890 Limoges Porcelain Wild Birds Set for 12 People
By E. Bourgeois, Limoges
Located in Paris, FR
Very unusual with a deep blue sky in the background and wonderful colors, this antique Limoges set for 12 people is made with the finest quality Li...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Gold
19c Bronze Cloisonne Dragon Vessels
Located in New York, NY
Pair of Chinese export late 19th century cloisonne vessels. Vessels feature hand chased glass stylized floral patterns in Victorian era colors of red/...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Single Antique Bronze Curtain Tie-Back
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
O/6772-4 - Another single elegant bronze tie-back , perfect to support Your curtain or belt or scarf in an elegant and functional way.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
19th C French Gilt Bronze Model of a Resting Hand, Attributed to Barbedienne
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
19th century French Gilt Bronze model of a resting hand, Attributed to Barbedienne.
France, Circa 1880s
A unique work, realistically cast model of an ormolu of a resting hand on ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Bronze Curtain Holder or Coat Hanger or Tie-backs
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
O/6839 - Old French gold bronze curtain-holder to enrich Your windows.
Before photos had not been cleaned (excuse me).
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
19th Century Meiji Japanese Bronze Gas Table Lamp
Located in Canton, MA
Meiji Japanese Bronze Table Lamp. Dark Patinated Bronze, relief design of a crane. Restored and rewired,bronze has been wax polished to cle...
Category
19th Century Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Italian Style Neo Classical Bronze Table Lamp Figural Base Paw Feet
Located in Toledo, OH
Italian style Neo- Classical bronze table lamp resting on three paw feet. Dimensions: 37" high x 9.5" diameter.
Category
20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Nubian Dancer by Carl Kauba
By Carl Kauba
Located in New Orleans, LA
Exemplary of Art Nouveau elegance, the sensuous female form is the focus of this Viennese bronze by Austrian sculptor Carl Kauba (1865 - 1922). The intricately detailed bronze captures the supple form of an exotic Nubian dancer in a true representation of the era’s predominant aesthetic. Both classical and evocative, the nude figure is adorned by an array of bronze jewelry, including a stunning golden belt...
Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
French Opaline Hand Painted Bronze Mounted Center Bowl 19th Century
Located in Lambertville, NJ
A French opaline glass hand painted center bowl depicting cupids, goats frolicing in a pastoral scene. The attached footed mount with chains in original aged bronze. The hand painted...
Category
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Bronze Curtain-Holders or Coat Hangers or Tie-backs
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
O/6840 - Antique bronze curtain-holders to enrich Your windows.
Before photos had not been cleaned. Excuse me...
Category
Mid-19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
French Aesthetic Style Bronze & Copper Snake & Salamander Candle Sconces
Located in New York, NY
French Aesthetic Style period pair of wall candle sconces, each one with gilt bronze snake holding lights and and salamander, seated on cop...
Category
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze, Copper
Cocktail Ring in Turquoise Cabochon and Diamonds
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Italian cocktail ring in yellow gold, turquoise cabochon and diamonds - signed Nene Antonione designer -
turquoise: cm. 13x 9 x H.6 cm -
Unique piece made for an Italian lady.
Category
Early 2000s European Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Gold
Luigi Melchiorre Italian Gilded Bronze Bust of Child in Bonnet
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A fine antique Italian gilded bronze sculptural bust of a young child wearing a bonnet signed by Luigi Melchiorre (1859-c.1908). The bust sits on a dr...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Sculpted Bronze Sea Creatures Coffee Table with a Chiseled Glass Top
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful bronze and glass coffee table depicting a sea creatures playing around a piece of coral and sea weed leaves, there you can see a couple of fish, snails, clams and a sea star.
The bronze has beautiful patina and a glossy finish to mimic the wet underwater environment.
The glass top has a beautiful chiseled edge that supposed to represent the water and waves...
Category
1980s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Antique Rogers Aesthetic Period Six Piece Silverplate Tea and Coffee Service
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A fine antique service in very good condition. With fine chased decoration in the Japanese manner with decorative floral sections alternating with angular decorated bands. All pieces footed.
Including: a teapot with hinged lid, a coffee pot, a large hot water pot on stand with a burner below (H. 16", W. 11", the bone finish resin knob...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Silver Plate, Vermeil
Aesthetic Movement Bronze Andirons in Christopher Dresser Style
Located in Sharon, CT
Pair of large (22") cast bronze andirons constructed of multiple Aesthetic Movement devices.
Category
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Auguste Louis Lalouette French Bronze Figure of a Young Sacristan
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A stunning and large antique bronze figure of a young Sacristan smelling an incense container by acclaimed French Sculptor August Louis Lalouette (1826-1883), believed to date from t...
Category
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Beatrice Fenton Profile Portrait Relief Bronze Plaque of John White Mathews Jr
Located in New York, NY
American Aesthetic Movement bronze relief plaque depicting a profile portrait of John White Mathews Jr. as a young boy. The piece was made by Beatrice Fenton...
Category
1920s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Antique French Esthetic Two-Armed Bronze Sconces with 'Swirl', 1900s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Exquisitely crafted pair of French two-armed sconces with superb detailing. Originally made as wall-candelabras. No alterations to the construction has been made so they are easily c...
Category
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
French Hand Painted Table Lamp
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Vibrant hand painted 19th century Faience and bronze urn now electrified. A maze yellow background with hand painted iris and leaf pattern. The basic shade is for photographic purpos...
Category
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Victorian Bronze Faux Bamboo Fire Screen
Located in New York, NY
English Victorian bronze faux bamboo fire screen with wire mesh swivel center panel.
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Set of Four Aesthetic Movement Sconces by E. F. Caldwell
Located in Pittsburgh, PA
Influenced by the French Japonisim Movement, these four enamel on copper plaques mounted in gilt bronze by renown maker Edward F. Caldwell are in the Aesthetic Movement style. The ov...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze, Copper
Pair of 19th Century Japanese Aesthetic Movement Mixed Metal Bronze Vases
Located in Great Barrington, MA
This beautifully paired set of Aesthetic Movement Japanese bronze vases are decorated all around the body featuring birds and foliage. The ...
Category
19th Century Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Stanford White Style Mirror
Located in New York, NY
Early 20th century American style frame in the Stanford White design. Cast and gilded, 29" x 25". Available in other sizes, please inquire.
Category
2010s American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Gold Leaf
Aesthetic Movement Enameled Plate Attributed to Elkington and A. Willms, c. 1875
By W. Albert Willms, Elkington & Co.
Located in PARIS, FR
Important tray made in gilded bronze and “cloisonné” enamel attributed to Elkington and Willms. Ornamented with a centering polychrome enameled peacock plaque, made of very high standard quality, mounted on a gilt-bronze dish, decorated in relief with Japanese Nô theater masks.
The great Birmingham firm of Elkingtons, was largely the creation of George Richards Elkington (1800-1865), who worked from 1824 in Birmingham as a manufacturer of silver-mounted scent bottles. By 1829 the business had expanded sufficiently for a branch to have been established in London. In the late 1830s the Elkingtons began making experiments to apply the principles of electro-metallurgy to gilding and plating with silver and in 1840 the patent was at last taken out. Elkingtons owed their rise to a position amongst the most important silversmiths of the country to their exploitation of this new process and the two of the most famous designers then employed, both of them French, Albert Wilms (1827-1899) and Morel-Ladeuil (1820-1888), who helped to make Elkingtons’ reputation with their elaborate exhibition pieces.
Albert Willms was apprenticed as modeler and engraver to Klagman, Dieterle and Constant in Paris before working for Morel & Co. in London in 1848. On his return to Paris he was employed by the great Parisian silversmiths including Christofle and Froment-Meurice, for whom he designed pieces to be presented at the 1855 Universal Exhibition in Paris. It was during this period that he joined the firm of Elkington in London as head decorator. Elkington was soon to become one of the first to produce refined pieces in “champlevé” enamel in the Chinese and Japanese styles, which were presented with great success at the London Universal Exhibition in 1862 (see Masterpieces of Industrial Art & Sculpture at the International Exhibition 1862, J.B. Waring, London, 1863, III, pl. 211). Willms’ “champlevé” enamels could not be compared, however, with the delicate “cloisonné” enamels exhibited by Japan at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867. This explains why Elkington adapted the ancient Japanese technique to produce pieces according to European taste and custom. Followings the 1867 Exhibition all the major European artists rivaled in ingenuity for the 1873 Universal Exhibition in Vienna. In London Albert Willms presented his luxurious vases and cups in “cloisonné” enamel for Elkington (see Illustrations of Art Manufacturers in the Precious Metals exhibited by Elkington & Co., Inventors, Patentees and Manufactures of electroplate, 1873), whilst in Paris, Ferdinand Thesmar (1843-1912) produced in the workshops of Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) a tray decorated with a golden pheasant in “cloisonné” enamel on copper...
Category
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Enamel, Bronze
French 19th Century Life-Size Bronze "La Danse des Oeufs" by Gustave-Louis Nast
By Gustave-Louis Nast 1
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine and large French 19th century Orientalist style life-size patinated and parcel-gilt bronze sculpture of "La Danse des Oeufs" (The Dance of Golden Eggs) also known as "La Danse...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze, Brass
Pair Late 19th Century French Tole Painted Bronze Urn & Flower Form Candelabra
Located in Hudson, NY
This pair of candelabra made in the form of urns holding floral arrangements are French and were cast in bronze in the 1870s. It’s possible that at one time they were gilded but they...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Aesthetic Movement Tromp L'Oeil Basket
Located in Montreal, QC
An American Aesthetic Movement Basket, naturalistically modeled as a bird perched on a a leafy twig, above a shallow dish simulating cloth, decorated with gilt and silvered leaves an...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Large Gothic Style Bronze Eight-Light Chandelier
Located in Montreal, QC
This late 19th century Gothic style patinated bronze chandelier was once a gasolier,. It has eight arms, four flowing down from the foliate decorated crown . The other four upturn...
Category
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Just Andersen large alloyed bronze bowl
Located in London, GB
A large alloyed bronze patinated dish bowl stamped Just Andersen Denmark and numbered 1736 X. Some wear to the patination which should be visible in the photos but otherwise a larger...
Category
1910s Danish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Brass, Bronze
Pair of 19th Century Aesthetic Movement Majolica Urns, German, Attrib. Hanke
By Reinhold Hanke
Located in Madrid, ES
A matched pair of late 19th century Bohemian / German majolica porcelain urns. With a contrasting mix of Christian, mythological, grotesque and neoclassical elements, they exemplify the highly decorative, "art for art's sake" ideology of the Aesthetic Movement (1860-1900). Colorful and engaging, the style was a direct and confrontational answer to the rise of mass-produced and industrial culture.
With impressed marks "R.H. 35" on their bases, the urns were most probably manufactured by Reinhold...
Category
19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Aesthetic Movement furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Aesthetic Movement furniture 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 furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, decorative objects, seating and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Aesthetic Movement furniture made in a specific country, there are Europe, United Kingdom, and England pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original furniture, popular names associated with this style include Minton, Doulton Lambeth, Christopher Dresser, and Wedgwood. 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 furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $65 and tops out at $86,402 while the average work can sell for $1,820.
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