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-20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Clay
Mid-20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas
1950s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Multi-gemstone, Silver
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1930s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1930s German Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
1930s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
1940s Austrian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paint
1950s Irish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paint
Mid-20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pottery
Mid-20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1940s Turkish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1950s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Upholstery, Bamboo
1930s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo
1930s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Blown Glass
1950s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal