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.
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
Early 1900s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Terracotta
Early 1900s Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze, Enamel
Early 20th Century North American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
Late 19th Century Persian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Mid-20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Aluminum
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pottery
Late 19th Century North American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
1930s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal, Brass
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Faux Bamboo
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
Early 2000s American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paper
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fruitwood
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Enamel
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Beech
Early 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Early 1800s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather, Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Belgian Black Marble
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Angora
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Lacquer
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century Moroccan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mother-of-Pearl, Oak