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.
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Clay, Terracotta
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silk
20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Early 1900s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Austrian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood, Faux Bamboo
1880s Czech Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Majolica, Ceramic, Faience
2010s English Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Hardwood
1880s Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas, Wood, Paint
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
2010s Argentine Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Textile
1930s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Blown Glass
1880s Chinese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Upholstery, Bamboo
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
2010s Argentine Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Textile, Paper
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo
19th Century North American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Marble
19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Glass
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas
Early 1900s German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
Early 1900s German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Copper
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Statuary Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bentwood
Early 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Terracotta
Early 20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware