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.
20th Century Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Grasscloth, Bamboo, Wicker, Mirror
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pottery
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas, Paint
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Velvet, Mahogany
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
1930s Spanish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Beech
19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Early 20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Philippine Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Lead
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut, Pottery
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
1950s Chinese Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Terracotta
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Berlin Iron
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
1890s Belgian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
Mid-19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fruitwood, Mahogany
1910s Danish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Early 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Moroccan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1890s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
1980s Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pewter
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Tin
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Beech
1950s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal, Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Earthenware