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.
1960s Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain, Wood, Ceramic
Early 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Birch, Satinwood
Late 19th Century Northern Irish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold
Late 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold Leaf
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Syrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fruitwood
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
1860s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cotton
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold Leaf
1860s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Marble
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut, Leather
Early 20th Century Swedish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
2010s English Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silk
Early 20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Glass, Mercury Glass
21st Century and Contemporary European Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Plaster
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
Late 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
1950s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal, Brass, Wire
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cherry, Pine
Late 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold Leaf
1920s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
Early 1900s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1870s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Ebony
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Other, Iron
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut, Giltwood
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mirror, Pine
Mid-20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather
Late 20th Century Moroccan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Enamel
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Velvet, Ebony
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paint
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut, Bamboo, Cane, Rush
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain