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.
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stainless Steel
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver
1960s Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1960s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Belgian Black Marble
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather
1960s Belgian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stone, Brass
1970s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver, Sterling Silver
1980s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Foam
1970s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather, Plastic
Late 20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Precious Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Plaster
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fabric
1920s Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
1960s Ghanaian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cotton
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
1960s Dutch Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
1960s Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Steel
1960s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
1960s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mirror, Wood
1960s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paint
1960s Spanish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
1960s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Enamel, Sterling Silver