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.
2010s South African Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Steel, Stainless Steel
1890s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Foam
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood, Paint
1870s Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
1940s Turkish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Portuguese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mirror
Early 20th Century Turkmen Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Early 2000s American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paint
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paper
20th Century Jordanian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Linen, Bamboo
Early 20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Glass
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paint
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1950s Thai Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal, Silver Leaf
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1880s Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pine
2010s American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold Leaf
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut, Pine
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mid-20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Marble, Brass, Bronze
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Terracotta
Mid-19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Murano Glass
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Acrylic
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas
2010s French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold Plate
2010s French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold Plate
2010s French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold Plate
2010s French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cotton, Silk
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate