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.
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ash
19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Burlap, Wool
Late 19th Century Persian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Moroccan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cowhide, Leather
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Iron
1990s Swedish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Angora
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1970s Austrian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cane, Wood
Late 19th Century Persian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-19th Century Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mirror
Early 20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Cotton
Early 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century Persian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas, Paint
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Onyx
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century Great Britain (UK) Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Enamel
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Portuguese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
Mid-20th Century Moroccan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century Persian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal
Late 19th Century Persian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood