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
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Copper
Early 20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Tôle, Iron
Early 2000s American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paint
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Glass, Mirror
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Foam
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paint
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut, Pine
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood, Paint, Paper
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
Early 1900s Italian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1990s Baltic Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Acrylic, Paint
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas
Mid-19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
Early 20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century Austrian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Spelter
2010s Botswanan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Coade Stone, Art Glass
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Early 1900s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Glass, Tapestry, Wicker
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
1870s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Pewter
19th Century Scottish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain, Oak
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1910s Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1870s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Opaline Glass
Mid-20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cowhide, Leather
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cowhide, Leather