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 British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
19th Century Thai Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silk
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pine
Late 20th Century Philippine Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather, Wood
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1940s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cut Glass
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fruitwood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Majolica
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Early 20th Century North American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Rush
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Onyx, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Slate, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo
19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Cotton
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bentwood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1970s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
1920s Swedish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Walnut
1870s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Faience
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
1920s Unknown Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Iron
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany, Walnut
Early 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas, Paint
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica