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.
1920s Swedish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
20th Century Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood, Oak
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Walnut
1880s Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
Early 1900s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ironstone
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Faux Bamboo, Cane, Mirror, Birdseye Maple
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
1880s Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Late 19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas, Wood
1920s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Alabaster
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Majolica
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas, Glass, Mahogany
1880s Italian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ironstone
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ormolu
2010s German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Faience
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
1840s Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1870s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold, Sterling Silver
Early 1900s Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Slate, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Enamel, Iron
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Czech Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cut Glass
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
Mid-20th Century Swedish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century Polish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
Early 1900s Italian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1920s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood
1870s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Faux Bamboo, Wood
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
1910s Danish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cherry
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1890s Spanish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood, Paint
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1890s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fabric, Faux Bamboo
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Colombian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Plaster, Oak
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pottery, Grasscloth, Bamboo