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.
Early 1900s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Birch, Birdseye Maple
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience
1870s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cut Glass
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold
1860s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience
Early 20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Mid-20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Spanish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Giltwood, Paint
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
1870s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Majolica
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Wood, Paper
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Lead
Late 19th Century North American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Late 20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Birdseye Maple
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fabric, Bamboo, Faux Bamboo
Early 20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Wire
Mid-20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Giltwood, Mirror
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Maple
1890s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Enamel, Gold
1950s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1870s Great Britain (UK) Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
19th Century Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bentwood
19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Maple, Wood
Early 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cane, Bentwood, Giltwood
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Majolica
20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
19th Century Thai Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cotton, Silk
Early 1900s Italian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pottery, Grasscloth, Bamboo
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware