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 English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Faux Bamboo, Pine
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Chinese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paint, Wood
1970s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pine
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ebony, Walnut
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Papercord
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century Syrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Reed, Wood
2010s German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Early 1900s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Majolica
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1920s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Terracotta
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal
Early 20th Century Caucasian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Chinese Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Wood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Copper
2010s German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
Mid-19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
2010s German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Giltwood, Lacquer
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Lapis Lazuli, Griotte Marble, Belgian Black Marble, Marble, Quartz, Mala...
Mid-20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s Japanese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
2010s German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
20th Century Chinese Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate, Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal, Bronze, Metal, Tin
2010s German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1890s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1870s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Enamel
20th Century Thai Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cotton, Silk, Glass, Wood
Early 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Birch, Satinwood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Burl, Paper
20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Majolica
20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Wood
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century Portuguese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak