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Aesthetic Movement Furniture

AESTHETIC MOVEMENT

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.

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Style: Aesthetic Movement
E W Godwin for Collinson & Lock An ebonised & parcel gilt side table chess table
Located in London, GB
E.W. Godwin attributed for Collinson & Lock. An ebonized and parcel gilt side table chess table with hand painted scenes on silk under an octagonal glass top. The silk has a little w...
Category

1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Baccarat Aesthetic movement intaglio cut glass vase c 1880
Located in Worcester Park, GB
Fabulous, intaglio carved, Baccarat vase in the Aesthetic style dating around 1880. Depicting two classically dressed women arranging fruit and plants on a pedestal with a landscape ...
Category

1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Crystal

French Painted Faux Bamboo Armoire, 19th Century
Located in Savannah, GA
A French painted faux bamboo armoire, circa 1890s. Ten drawers with a mirror-front wardrobe. 34 ½ inches wide by 15 ½ inches deep by 63 ½ inches tall
Category

1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Paint, Wood

E W Godwin attributed. An Aesthetic Movement Walnut octagonal centre table
Located in London, GB
E W Godwin attributed. An Aesthetic Movement Walnut octagonal center table with tramline molded edges with fine turnings to the legs united by a high stretcher and standing on Thebes...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Lambs of Manchester An Aesthetic Movement ebonized Walnut eight leg centre table
Located in London, GB
Lambs of Manchester. A rare Aesthetic Movement ebonized walnut octagonal eight-leg centre table with a veneered macassar ebony top and a molded edge and shaped aprons below united by...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut, Macassar

E W Godwin for William Watt. An oak Shakespeare armchair. One of only four known
Located in London, GB
E.W. Godwin made by William Watt. An oak Shakespeare armchair. This armchair was part of the Shakespeare dining room suite in the Elizabethan-Revival style that Godwin designed for William Watt, which was illustrated in the Building News on 11 November 1881 Fig. 176.1. Four are currently known in existence, this one with an upholstered seat, two with solid seats in private collections, and the fourth is in a National Trust house. See The Secular Furniture of EW Godwin...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Oak

Dr Christopher Dresser An ebonized and gilded pedestal torchère
Located in London, GB
An Aesthetic Movement ebonized and gilded pedestal torchère in the style of Dr C Dresser. The circular top has a Greek key pattern band, the main octagonal column has incised and gil...
Category

1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Whytock & Reid. A pair of Aesthetic Movement ebonized & parcel gilt side chairs.
Located in London, GB
Whytock & Reid of Edinburgh. A rare pair of high Aesthetic Movement ebonized and parcel gilt side chairs.
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

An Aesthetic Movement walnut armchair with a curvaceous back leather upholstery.
Located in London, GB
An Aesthetic Movement Walnut Library armchair with a curvaceous back and nicely worn button back leather upholstery. The arms with double curves to the end of the armrests and floret...
Category

1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

A Boucheron Paris 18k Gold Silver & Ruby Vermeil Minaudiere Circa 1940
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Boucheron Paris 18k Gold, Silver & Ruby Vermeil Minaudiere Circa 1940, of rectangular form with a hinged cover the top of the cover with pierced vermeil scrolling foliage the flow...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Gold, Silver

Brownfield & Sons. Olympus pattern. Dr C Dresser style. Aesthetic Movement bowl
Located in London, GB
Brownfield and Sons Olympus pattern, in the style of Dr C Dresser. A large Aesthetic Movement white bowl with blue printed love birds and stylized decoration around the bowl.
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Bruce Talbert for Gillows and Co. Aesthetic Movement scissor style side chair
Located in London, GB
Bruce Talbert for Gillows and Co. An Aesthetic Movement scissor style side chair with ebonized dot details and chip carved details to the fra...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Oak

Morris & Co (style of). An Aesthetic Movement armchair with seagrass seat
Located in London, GB
Morris & Co (style of). An Aesthetic Movement armchair with seagrass seat.
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Beech

Liberty & Co armchair with a shaped back & mashrabiya turnings to the head rest.
Located in London, GB
Liberty & Co An Aesthetic Movement ebonized Moorish low armchair with a shaped back with mashrabiya turnings to the head rest and tapestry seat
Category

1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Collinson & Lock EW Godwin attri. An Aesthetic Movement walnut side cabinet.
Located in London, GB
Collinson and Lock EW Godwin attributed. An Aesthetic Movement Mahogany side cabinet, the upper cupboard doors with contrasting fruit wood panels and little ...
Category

1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Mahogany

Bruce Talbert Gillows, Aesthetic Movement rosewood armchair with pink upholstery
Located in London, GB
Bruce Talbert for Gillows. An Aesthetic Movement Rosewood armchair with a pink button back upholstered back and seat.
Category

1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Rosewood

Aesthetic Movement Ash & fiddle back Ash wall cabinet inlaid with floral panels.
Located in London, GB
An Aesthetic Movement Ash and fiddle back Ash wall cabinet with a shaped and inlaid cornice and polychrome painted floral panels to the doors. The Ash wood has been stained to show d...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ash

Orientalist Chandelier, France, Circa 1870
Located in PARIS, FR
Rare chandelier in gilded and patinated bronze with eighteen lights, finely decorated with stylized oriental motifs in polychrome red and blue cold enamel. Surmounted by an elegant c...
Category

1870s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Collinson & Lock (attributed). A small Aesthetic Movement mahogany side table.
Located in London, GB
Collinson & Lock Attributed. A small Aesthetic Movement Mahogany side table with raised Japanese fretwork to the lower shelf.
Category

1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Mahogany

Maple & Co London Bruce Talbert attr. Aesthetic Movement chest of five drawers.
Located in London, GB
Maple and Co London, in the style of Bruce Talbert. A good quality Aesthetic Movement chest of drawers made from Walnut with a wonderful wild figure to the grain. Molded decoration t...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Jas Shoolbred. A set of four Aesthetic Movement lattice back oak dining chairs.
Located in London, GB
Jas Shoolbred attributed. A nice quality set of four Aesthetic Movement oak dining chairs with lattice designs to the backs and tramline details throughout, professionally reupholste...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Oak

R Boyd. in the style of Dr C Dresser. A pair of oak side chairs
Located in London, GB
R Boyd. in the style of Dr C Dresser. A pair of Aesthetic Movement oak side chairs with 1/4 moon details and double hoop stretchers. Furniture by R Boyd was illustrated in the Furnit...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Oak

Lamp Hat Embroidered in Silver Tinsel
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
O/423 - Unique piece : lamp hat embroidered in silver tinsel - It is suitable for a high floor or table lamp. The price is very interesting because I want to close my activities. ...
Category

1990s Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Silk

J P Hewitt. Aesthetic Movement circular plaque with a Pre-Raphaelite girls head.
Located in London, GB
J P Hewitt. An Aesthetic Movement circular plaque painted with a Pre-Raphaelite female head set in the original incised and ebonized period frame. Signed to the back.
Category

1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

SUPER RARE ANTiQUE VICTORIAN AESTHETIC MOVEMENT ARMCHAIR WITH GRAND TOUR PLAQUES
Located in GB
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this super rare and totally original Aesthetic Movement, Victorian circa 1840-1860 Library armchair with ins...
Category

1840s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Upholstery, Walnut

An Aesthetic Movement Elm stool with a 'S' handle, and a wild grain to the seat.
Located in London, GB
An Aesthetic Movement period Elm stool with a 'S' shaped pierced handle, and a wonderful wild grain to the seat. Tight through and exposed joints to the four corners of the seat with...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Elm

Boar and Stag Majolica Tureens
Located in Savannah, GA
A pair of Italian majolica boar and stag head tureens, mid 20th century. 16 ½ inches wide by 11 inches deep by 10 inches tall
Category

Mid-20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

James Dixon, Dr C Dresser style of. A silver plated sugar bowl and milk jug
Located in London, GB
James Dixon, Dr C Dresser style of. An Aesthetic Movement silver-plated sugar bowl and milk jug, the jug with a trumpet style flower to the handle. H 5 x W 11 x D 11.
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Silver Plate

Jaeger LeCoultre Vendome Atmos Clock
Located in Mérida, YU
A beautiful Jaeger LeCoultre mid century Vendome Atmos clock. This piece looks wonderful on a desk in a study, or on a mantelpiece or table. Very elegant. ...
Category

1970s Swiss Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Gold Plate

An Aesthetic Movement ebonized side table with a marquetry octagonal top
Located in London, GB
An Aesthetic Movement ebonized side table with a marquetry octagonal top decorated with conch shells and a central star detail in various fruit woods, with ebonized string and cheque...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Morris and Co. A superior quality Aesthetic Movement two tier walnut side table
Located in London, GB
Morris and Co. Designed by George Jack. A superior quality Aesthetic Movement two tier walnut side table, with a shaped apron below the top and f...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

An Aesthetic Movement heavy cast brass peacock trivet with fine detailing
Located in London, GB
An Aesthetic Movement heavy cast brass peacock trivet with fine detailing throughout.
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Brass

Aesthetic Movement walnut metamorphic oak coal box with Herons in a river scene.
Located in London, GB
An Aesthetic Movement Walnut metamorphic oak coalbox. The handle when pulled back mechanically opens the two doors to the front, which has brass panels depicting Herons eating fish i...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

R. W. Edis, probably made by Jackson & Graham A fine pair of Walnut side chairs
By Robert William Edis, Jackson & Graham
Located in London, GB
R. W. Edis, probably made by Jackson and Graham. A fine pair of Aesthetic Movement Walnut side chairs with fine ring turned and incised tramline details, and sweeping side supports. ...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Collinson and Lock. An Aesthetic Movement Satin walnut breakfront wall cupboard
Located in London, GB
Collinson and Lock. An Aesthetic Movement Satin walnut breakfront wall cupboard with a dentil cornice, and Japanese basket weave detailing to the brass handle.
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

T E Collcutt for Collinson & Lock. An Aesthetic Movement walnut high back chair.
Located in London, GB
Thomas Edward Collcutt for Collinson & Lock. A fine quality Aesthetic Movement Walnut high back chair with later blue upholstery. Illustrated in the Collinson and Lock catalogue.
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Danier Cottier (style of). An Aesthetic Movement dark oak coal box
Located in London, GB
An Aesthetic Movement dark oak coal box in the style of Daniel Cottier. With all over shallow carved floral decoration.
Category

1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Oak

19th-C. English Aesthetic Movement Bamboo & Lacquer Cabinet / Etagere / Vanity
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a show stopper! This is a 19th century English burnt bamboo and Japanned lacquer cabinet. This could work in a bath or hall or kitchen or just about any where! This piece is ...
Category

Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bamboo, Mirror, Wood

Morris & Co. An Aesthetic Movement Walnut tallboy with internal sliding drawers.
Located in London, GB
Morris and Co. A Superior Quality Aesthetic Movement Walnut tallboy, with a polished top and dentil molding below with fielded diamond shaped panels to the upper doors opening to rev...
Category

1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Unusual 19th C., Victorian Aesthetic Movement Petit Point Boot Jack
Located in Atlanta, GA
English, 19th century. An unusual Victorian Aesthetic Movement petit point boot jack. The frame is constructed from walnut with gold painted detailing to the carved recessions. The ...
Category

19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Leather, Walnut

Morris & Co. A fine quality Aesthetic Movement walnut side table.
Located in London, GB
Morris & Co. A fine quality Aesthetic Movement walnut side table with herringbone inlay to the top edge, stood on hexagonal shaped legs with a lower shelf
Category

1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Jas Shoolbred. An Aesthetic Movement adjustable height piano stool
Located in London, GB
Jas Shoolbred. An Aesthetic Movement adjustable height piano stool with carved florettes and line scribed decoration to the seat and to the shaped legs, united by a double stretcher. This has a BSA motor bike company mechanical height adjusting mechanism with gear cogs...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Burne Jones for Morris & Co Hand painted tile of Chaucer's legend of good wimmen
Located in London, GB
Edward Burne Jones for Morris & Co, designed in 1861-1862. A rare hand-painted tile depicting Chaucer's Legend of Good Wimmen. The Fiberite packing we found inside the frame probably...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Aesthetic Movement side table with sunflower & curved & straight side stretchers
Located in London, GB
A rare Aesthetic Movement walnut side table with two curved upper stretchers that unite to a central sunflower and a lower straight sided H stretcher that unites to the bottom of the...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Jas Shoolbred and Co (attributed) An octagonal oak side table with central shelf
Located in London, GB
Jas Shoolbred attributed An octagonal oak side table with central shelf, carved circular details to the legs, united by lower cross stretchers.
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Oak

Aesthetic Bronze Dog Candlesticks
Located in Hudson, NY
Aesthetic Bronze Dog Candlesticks
Category

Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Louis Maximilien Fiot : "Panthera", Terracota sculpture, edition Susse, C.
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Louis Maximilien FIOT (1886-1953, France) : « Lionne à sa toilette » Patinated terracota sculpture of a lioness nobly standing on a rock Old edition by Susse terracota workshop Sig...
Category

1920s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Terracotta

Pair Aesthetic Movement Club Chairs, Style of Herter Brothers.
Located in Pasadena, CA
This is a striking pair of American Aesthetic Movement Parlor or Club Chairs in the style of Herter Brothers. These chairs are an unusual form of New York 19th century...
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Unique Pair of Faux Rosewood Clarinet Form Table Lamps
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Faux rosewood base. Clarinet body. 37 3/4" h x 5 1/2" diameter. Condition Good condition. We recommend all lighting be rewired.
Category

1970s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Antique Aesthetic Movement Faux Bamboo Ottoman, Attr: Herter Brothers
By Herter Brothers
Located in Atlanta, GA
Exquisite Antique Aesthetic Movement Faux Bamboo Ottoman ATTR: Herter Brothers *Please View Other Listings - Matching Side Chair and Piano Stool* Presenting an exceptional piece of...
Category

Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Bamboo, Faux Bamboo

19th Century European Black Lacquered Chinoserie Painted Tea/Tobacco Caddy Jar
Located in Hyattsville, MD
A large English lacquered papier-mâché container from the Aesthetic Movement period, featuring a decorative chinoserie painting of stylized Asian figures, pagodas, and a garden bridg...
Category

19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Papercord

Pair of Victorian Marquetry, Ebony Framed Burr Walnut Display Cabinets
Located in Altrincham, GB
Pair of Victorian Marquetry, Ebony Framed Burr Walnut Display Cabinets attributed to Lamb of Manchester - 30.5"w x 15"d x 46"h
Category

Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ebony, Walnut

Frances E Lee Impressive Pair Doulton Lambeth Slaters Floral Painted Vase
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A large and impressive pair Doulton Lambeth Slaters pâte-sur-pâte style floral painted vases by renowned designer and decorator Frances E Lee and dating from around 1885. The large stoneware bottle shaped vases stand raised on a narrow round foot with large round bulbous bodies and tall funnel shaped necks with a slightly wider thick rim. The bodies of the vases are beautifully decorated with three large decorative panels set within brown outline frames with fleur-de-lis style patterning to the top and bottom with a checkered pattern to the inside of the frame. The frames contain foliage and flowering stems thickly applied in a pâte-sur-pâte style with variations to each of the panels. The decoration overlaps with the frame and extends into the body of the vase. Formal patterning is applied around the neck and top of the vase. The vase is hand painted in tones of blue, brown, pink, white, yellow and green and the whole is set against a stipple natural salt glazed ground. These are an exception to the normal Doulton Lambeth Slaters vases...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Stoneware

Kate Rogers Doulton Lambeth Pair Impasto Daisy Painted Vases
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A stunning and fine pair Doulton Lambeth Impasto daisy painted vases by renowned Faience artist Kate Rogers and dated 1885. The stoneware vases are of tall bulbous shape standing r...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Stoneware

Mid-Century Chinese Hand Painted Bird & Floral Bamboo Side Tables / Cabinets -2
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a pair of mid-century hand painted Aesthetic Movement inspired celadon bamboo cabinets. They have bird and floral fronts with pinstripe details....
Category

Mid-20th Century Chinese Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bamboo, Wood

Antique Style Brass Wall Lamp Large Art Deco Tradition Gold
Located in Berlin, DE
Immerse yourself in the elegance of bygone times with our exclusive antique-style brass wall lamp. This wall lamp is not only a stunning lighting object, but also a real work of art ...
Category

2010s German Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Brass

Aesthetic Movement Verdigris Gilt Bronze Mirror
Located in New York, NY
Aesthetic Movement verdigris gilt bronze mirror, the frame with geometric and beaded design surmounted by a scrolling foliate motif pediment, circa 1920s, apparently unsigned. Deale...
Category

Early 20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Victorian Iron Aesthetic Manner Fire Grate Basket and Original Hood
Located in Edinburgh, GB
An original antique 19th century -Victorian wrought iron fire grate basket in the Aesthetic Manner with its original sweeping chimney hood. A high Cartouche shaped fire back with a c...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Wrought Iron

Aesthetic Movement furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Aesthetic Movement furniture for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, decorative objects, seating and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Aesthetic Movement furniture made in a specific country, there are Europe, United Kingdom, and England pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original furniture, popular names associated with this style include Minton, Doulton Lambeth, Christopher Dresser, and Wedgwood. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $65 and tops out at $86,402 while the average work can sell for $1,820.

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