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.
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Faux Bamboo, Birdseye Maple
1890s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Rush
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Early 1900s Italian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fabric, Faux Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas, Paint
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1890s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Horn, Fabric, Hardwood
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Early 1900s German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Plaster
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Rush, Beech
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain, Ceramic
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ironstone
Mid-20th Century Moroccan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Early 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Coral, Amethyst, Bronze
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Paper
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Beech
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Birdseye Maple
1880s Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Beech, Amboyna
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Jacquard, Velvet
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cowhide, Leather
2010s British Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Nickel
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mirror, Amboyna
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century Mexican Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1870s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience
Late 19th Century Scottish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1890s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Majolica
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Philippine Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather, Wood
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Plaster
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Glass
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century Philippine Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood





