In its sinuous lines and flamboyant curves inspired by the natural world, antique Art Nouveau furniture reflects a desire for freedom from the stuffy social and artistic strictures of the Victorian era. The Art Nouveau movement developed in the decorative arts in France and Britain in the early 1880s and quickly became a dominant aesthetic style in Western Europe and the United States.
ORIGINS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN
ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
ANTIQUE ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
Art Nouveau — which spanned furniture, architecture, jewelry and graphic design — can be easily identified by its lush, flowing forms suggested by flowers and plants, as well as the lissome tendrils of sea life. Although Art Deco and Art Nouveau were both in the forefront of turn-of-the-20th-century design, they are very different styles — Art Deco is marked by bold, geometric shapes while Art Nouveau incorporates dreamlike, floral motifs. The latter’s signature motif is the "whiplash" curve — a deep, narrow, dynamic parabola that appears as an element in everything from chair arms to cabinetry and mirror frames.
The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau was particularly influenced by the soft colors and abstract images of nature seen in Japanese art prints, which arrived in large numbers in the West after open trade was forced upon Japan in the 1860s. Impressionist artists were moved by the artistic tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking, and Japonisme — a term used to describe the appetite for Japanese art and culture in Europe at the time — greatly informed Art Nouveau.
The Art Nouveau style quickly reached a wide audience in Europe via advertising posters, book covers, illustrations and other work by such artists as Aubrey Beardsley, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha. While all Art Nouveau designs share common formal elements, different countries and regions produced their own variants.
In Scotland, the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh developed a singular, restrained look based on scale rather than ornament; a style best known from his narrow chairs with exceedingly tall backs, designed for Glasgow tea rooms. Meanwhile in France, Hector Guimard — whose iconic 1896 entry arches for the Paris Metro are still in use — and Louis Majorelle produced chairs, desks, bed frames and cabinets with sweeping lines and rich veneers.
The Art Nouveau movement was known as Jugendstil ("Youth Style") in Germany, and in Austria the designers of the Vienna Secession group — notably Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann and Joseph Maria Olbrich — produced a relatively austere iteration of the Art Nouveau style, which mixed curving and geometric elements.
Art Nouveau revitalized all of the applied arts. Ceramists such as Ernest Chaplet and Edmond Lachenal created new forms covered in novel and rediscovered glazes that produced thick, foam-like finishes. Bold vases, bowls and lighting designs in acid-etched and marquetry cameo glass by Émile Gallé and the Daum Freres appeared in France, while in New York the glass workshop-cum-laboratory of Louis Comfort Tiffany — the core of what eventually became a multimedia decorative-arts manufactory called Tiffany Studios — brought out buoyant pieces in opalescent favrile glass.
Jewelry design was revolutionized, as settings, for the first time, were emphasized as much as, or more than, gemstones. A favorite Art Nouveau jewelry motif was insects (think of Tiffany, in his famed Dragonflies glass lampshade).
Like a mayfly, Art Nouveau was short-lived. The sensuous, languorous style fell out of favor early in the 20th century, deemed perhaps too light and insubstantial for European tastes in the aftermath of World War I. But as the designs on 1stDibs demonstrate, Art Nouveau retains its power to fascinate and seduce.
There are ways to tastefully integrate a touch of Art Nouveau into even the most modern interior — browse an extraordinary collection of original antique Art Nouveau furniture on 1stDibs, which includes decorative objects, seating, tables, garden elements and more.
Lot of Two Silver Sacred Heart Ex Voto with Cherub Angel, Antique European 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Lot of two Handmade Religious Ex-Voto A striking and delicately crafted religious Ex-Voto, sourced from an estate sale in Parma, Italy. The piece appears to be made from t...
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
French “Clichy” Yellow Glass Pendant Lamp
Located in Amsterdam, NL
French “Clichy” yellow glass pendant lamp Brass glass holder Weight : 0.85 kg / 1.9 lb Priced per individual item. All lamps have been made suitable by international standards for ...
Brass
Antique Germany Cutlery Pocket Knife Nuremberg Beer Scene 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
We are pleased to offer a charming early 20th-century souvenir pocket knife produced as an advertising piece for the historic Jacob Kann Company of Nuremberg, Germany. Once a well-kn...
Metal, Brass
French Art Nouveau Brass Pink Satin Glass Pendant Light 1920s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
French Art Nouveau glass lamp Brass bulb holder with pink glass shade. 2 meter / 80 inches black cotton wire. Weight: 0.70 kg / 1.5 lb Priced per individual item. All lamps have b...
Brass
Paul GASQ - Large French Art Nouveau Diane/Artemis Bronze Bust, 1900
By Paul Gasq
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
Large French Art Nouveau Bronze Bust Sculpture of Diane / Artemis by Paul Gasq (1860–1944), France, circa 1900. An exceptional and large French Art Nouveau bronze bust sculpture dep...
Marble, Bronze
Art Nouveau Violet and Amber Glass and Brass Pendant Light, France, ca. 1920
Located in Barntrup, DE
French Art Nouveau pendant featuring a sculptural Pâte de Verre glass bowl with honey-amber center and lavender-violet rim. A refined example of early 20th-century French Art Nouvea...
Brass
Art Nouveau Vase Ceramics, Floral Turquoise & Blue Josef Ekberg Sgrafitto 1919
Located in Stockholm, SE
An art nouveau vase in ceramics designed by Josef Ekberg at Gustavsberg in 1919, this vase is from the classic Sgrafitto-serie. The vase is 34.5 cm (13.8") tall. It is in very good c...
Ceramic
French Art Nouveau Lavender Glass Pendant by Muller Frères Lunéville, ca. 1920
Located in Barntrup, DE
Rare lavender glass bowl three-light pendant with sculptural bronze chains and floral mounts. This elegant French Art Nouveau pendant light was produced by Muller Frères Lunéville i...
Bronze
20th Century Art Nouveau Clear Glass Vase, Ruffled Edge, Austria circa 1910
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Charming Art Nouveau glass vase with ruffled edge coming from the famous period in Austria around 1910. The extraordinary mouthblown clear glass body impresses with a beautiful bulb...
Blown Glass
Marguerite Dufay - Vintage lithographic Art Nouveau poster by Louis Anquetin
Located in East Quogue, NY
Vintage limited edition lithographic reproduction poster of "Marguerite Dufay" by 19th Century French artist Louis Anquestin (1861-1932). Published in 1968 by The Sunday Times (Lond...
Paper
French Art Nouveau Wall Lamp, Brass & Frosted Glass, Early 1900s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
French art nouveau wall lamp Frosted glass shade with brass wall piece and arm Diameter wall plate 102 mm B22 bulb holder / Bayonet Weight: 0.70 kg / 1.5 lb Priced per individual...
Brass
Fratelli Toso Fenicia Art Glass Vase, Murano, Early 20th Century
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
Art Glass Vase by Fratelli Toso, Murano, Italy, Early 20th Century. Rare Murano art glass vase by Fratelli Toso, Venice, Italy, dating from the early 20th century. This finely execu...
Art Glass
20th Century Loetz Witwe Blue Glass Vase - Decor Cobalt Papillon, CZ, ca. 1903
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Highly decorative 20th century Loetz Witwe Art Nouveau glass vase - decoration "Cobalt Papillon" - from the early period in Bohemia around 1903. An incredible looking Loetz collector...
Blown Glass
French Art Nouveau Gilt Console Table
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
French Art Nouveau giltwood console table circa 1900, a sculptural piece of furniture that expresses the artistry of the period when every aspect of interior design was an opportunit...
Marble
Jugendstil chandelier with original painted opaline glass vienna around 1908
Located in Wien, AT
Jugendstil chandelier with original painted opaline glass shades vienna around 1908 Brass polished and stove enameled Original opaline glass shades
Brass
$1,750Sale Price|30% Off
Antique Victorian Aesthetic Arts Nouveau Stained Slag Glass Parlor Lamp 25"
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Victorian era Aesthetic Movement / Art Nouveau style table lamp. Mushroom shaped lamp crafted of swirling blue, white, and purple slag glass framed...
Slag Glass
Cast Bronze Pendant, Gunmetal Finish, Flor de Bronce Collection
By L'Aviva Home
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by the layered significance of the calla lily in Mexican culture, this collection blends the bold heft of cast bronze with sculpted, flowing curves that echo the flower’s fo...
Bronze
Large Jugendstil Alabaster Pendant Light with Dramatic Natural Veining
Located in Lisse, NL
A striking and generously proportioned alabaster pendant light, measuring approximately 19.75 inches in diameter, executed during the European Jugendstil period. Carved from a single...
Alabaster, Brass, Wire
Beautiful flower jardiniere, Jugendstil Art Nouveau Eichwald green, Bohemia 1900
By Eichwald
Located in Wien, AT
A beautiful, classic flower jardinière, made by the renowned ceramics manufacturer Eichwald in Bohemia, circa 1900. The jardinière features typical Art Nouveau design. It has an ova...
Ceramic
$455Sale Price|30% Off
Antique Victorian Art Nouveau Leaded Stained Glass Floral Window Panel Framed
Located in Dayton, OH
Exquisite antique Art Nouveau leaded stained glass window. Features floral swags in blue, amber, purple and green over a clear paneled background. Framed in wood for ease of hangi...
Stained Glass
French Majolica Wild Rose Cake Stand Delphin Massier Circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica Wild Rose Cake Stand Delphin Massier Circa 1890, 9.8 inches diameter , 4 inches height.
Ceramic, Majolica
Set of 4 Mid Century Bar Stools in Thonet style, Italy 70s
Located in Lucija, SI
Set of four bentwood bsr stools in Thonet style Made in the 70s in Italy In very good condition with trace of use
Cane, Beech, Bentwood
$918Sale Price|20% Off
Art Nouveau Enamelled Faience Vase, Baluster Form, Longwy Region, France, 1910s
By Faïenceries et Emaux de Longwy, Boch Freres Keramis
Located in Glasgow, GB
This Art Nouveau enamelled faience vase, produced in France around 1910 and likely originating from the Longwy region, is executed in a tall baluster form and decorated in heavy enam...
Enamel
Early 20th Century French Bentwood Table in Thonet Style, Provence
By Thonet
Located in Astoria, NY
An early 20th century French bentwood table crafted in the Thonet manner, sourced in Provence, France. The table features elegantly arched supports joined by a slender metal stretche...
Brass
$586Sale Price|49% Off
Antique Hand Carved Wooden Angel Head Sculpture, Spanish, Circa 1900-1920
Located in Buisson, FR
Wonderful early 20th century hand carved wooden angel head with glass eyes. Amazing eyecather with beautiful expression. Spain circa 1900-1920 Weathered, small losses. H:20cm W:11cm...
Glass, Wood
$5,970
Thonet Bench 1860s
By Thonet
Located in Čelinac, BA
Thoner Bench Austria 1959
Bentwood
French “Clichy” Pink Reeded Glass Pendant Lamp
Located in Amsterdam, NL
French “Clichy” pink coloured glass pendant lamp Brass glass holder Weight : 1.40 kg / 3.1 lb Priced per individual item. All lamps have been made suitable by international standar...
Brass
Set of 2 Antique Art Nouveau Picture Frames, Stained Oak, around 1910, Vienna
Located in Andernach, DE
Set of 2 antique stained oak picture frames in a wonderfully hand crafted shape. Vienna in the 1910s, these were the typical items to display on the wall to show portraits of your l...
Oak
French Art Nouveau Cherub Pendant Light in Carved Wood & Frosted Glass, ca. 1920
Located in Barntrup, DE
French Art Nouveau pendant light featuring a carved linden wood cherub with gilded wings and a frosted glass shade. This charming French Art Nouveau pendant light dates to the early...
Brass
French “Clichy” Pink Reeded Glass Pendant Lamp
Located in Amsterdam, NL
French “Clichy” pink coloured glass pendant lamp Brass glass holder Weight : 1.30 kg / 2.9 lb Priced per individual item. All lamps have been made suitable by international standar...
Brass
Elegant early 20th century Swedish birch writing desk
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Early 20th century Swedish birch writing table circa 1910. We are pleased to offer this stunning Scandinavian writing desk, with art nouveau...
Birch
Antique Lily Pattern Whiting Sterling Silver Sauce or Cream Ladle
By Whiting Manufacturing Company
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine antique sauce or cream ladle. In sterling silver. By Whiting. In the Lily pattern. With a scalloped bowl and a figural handle. Marked to the reverse. Simply wonderful Am...
Sterling Silver
$2,731Sale Price|20% Off
1940s Swedish Floor Lamp With Three Red Satin Shades
Located in Silvolde, Gelderland
1940s brass floor lamp with a solid bronze base. The lamp features three adjustable arms, each fitted with its original red satin shade. All three light points can be switched indivi...
Brass
Antique Souvenir Pocket Knife unknown City View Scene 1900s Corkscrew & Blades
Located in Nuernberg, DE
We are pleased to offer a charming early 20th-century souvenir pocket knife produced as an Souvenir of a City in Germany. This vintage pocket knife features a relief of Church and a ...
Metal
French Art Nouveau Copper Cut Glass Brass Sconce Wall Lamp
Located in Amsterdam, NL
French art nouveau wall lamp Semi frosted cut glass shade Copper wall piece and brass arm Weight: 1.70 kg / 3.7 lb Priced per individual item. All lamps have been made suitable by ...
Brass, Copper
$1,421 / set
Muller Frères Pair of Art Nouveau Wall Sconces
Located in NANTES, FR
Pair of Art Nouveau wall sconces, circa 1910. Gilt brass mount, pâte de verre shades signed Muller Frères Luneville. Wired, E14 socket. Small screw-in bulbs. In perfect condition. ...
Brass
Jean-Michel Basquiat The Paris Review, 1982 (Basquiat Tuxedo)
By (after) Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat The Paris Review: 1982 The Paris Review book, featuring an interior spread of Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Tuxedo" (1982). Imagery features 8 detailed segments of thi...
Paper
20th Century Art Nouveau Bentwood Side Table by Mundus, Austria, circa 1900
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Beautiful designed Art Nouveau bentwood side table from the early 20th century in Austria. Made of fine bentwood by the renown company of MUNDUS at the turn of the century around 190...
Bentwood
Large Antique Catholic Reliquary Box Crucifix Pendant with 16 Relics of Saints
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This antique 19th Century metal reliquary is a finely handcrafted devotional object containing 16 third-class relics of saints, each identified with paper scrolls and set against a r...
Metal, Brass
French Art Nouveau Brass Green Satin Glass Pendant Light 1920s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
French Art Nouveau glass lamp Brass bulb holder with satin green glass shade. 2 meter / 80 inches black cotton wire. Weight: 0.50 kg / 1.1 lb Priced per individual item. All lamps...
Brass
$2,840Sale Price|20% Off
1940s Romantic / Art Nouveau Shell Back Sofa Upholstered With Bronze Velvet
Located in Silvolde, Gelderland
1940s Swedish two-seater sofa upholstered in bronze-coloured velour. The design features softly curved lines, elegantly shaped armrests and refined cabriole legs, reflecting a romant...
Velvet, Beech, Pine
Art Nouveau Mirror in Brass and Glass Inlay, Signed A.H. Villaket, France
Located in Meulebeke, BE
France / 1910 / Mirror / signed A.H. Villaket / Brass, wood, and glass / Art Nouveau A rare and lyrical embodiment of French Art Nouveau craftsmanship, this exquisite mirror, signed...
Brass
1920s Art Nouveau Brass & Glass Pendant Lamp, Ceiling Light, Jena, Germany
By Peter Behrens, Carl Zeiss, Zeiss Ikon, Jena Glassworks
Located in Vienna, AT
A charming and elegant Art Nouveau / Jugendstil “industrial” design ceiling lamp from the 1920s. Made in Germany, the body and decorative ring are crafted from brass, while the lampshade / reflector is made of the well-known Jena glass...
Brass
Antique Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Silver GEC Glass Wall Lamp c.1910
By General Electric Company (GEC) 1
Located in London, GB
A beautifully crafted and rare antique silver plated wall light, made in England by the General Electric Company (GEC) c.1910. This refined piece of Edwardian lighting features exc...
Brass
Set of 4 Bat Chairs by Josef Hoffmann for Wittmann Austria
Located in Nürnberg, Bayern
The wood is a feast for the eyes. The seat cushions need replacing, as they have holes and wear marks. The back cushions are OK, but probably need reupholstering too.
Elm
French Art Nouveau Brass Piano Lamp, Paris 1920s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Art nouveau Brass piano lamp. Paris 1920s 2,5 meter black cotton flex, plug and switch in base B15 – bulb holder Available with UK / US plug B15 bulb holder. Priced per individua...
Brass
Josef Hoffmann & Wiener Werkstaette Jugendstil Table Lamp Re Edition
By Wiener Werkstätte, Josef Hoffmann, Woka Lamps
Located in Vienna, AT
Grooved casted column, copy of a signed and marked lamp, offered on an auction - see detail - compare to WW-Archive at the MAK - Object 3014, Inventnory# 119-23-1 Most components ac...
Brass
Adolf Loos Jugendstil Swivel-Mounted Silk Brass Wall-Lamp, Re-Edition
By Woka Lamps, Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Swivel-mounted wall-lamp, measures as desired either with a wall-plate for direct-wiring, or with the cable going down to plug in - in that case a weight can be mounted on the cable ...
Brass
Gallé Signed, Large Acid Etched Overlay Banjo Form Vase, France, 1890
By Gallé
Located in Rijssen, NL
This exquisite Art Nouveau vase by Émile Gallé in Nancy is statement pieces in the room. Signed E. Gallé. Large Flattened banjo form cabinet vase with red currant decoration in clea...
Glass
$2,625Sale Price|30% Off
Monumental Antique Victorian Art Nouveau Leaded Stained Glass Window French Door
Located in Dayton, OH
A rare and exceptional reclaimed large two part leaded stained glass French Door / Window. Features a large rectangular frame with two 2-part hinged doors with separate operating win...
Stained Glass, Hardwood
Antique Nymphenburg Porcelain Chick Figurine Art Nouveau, Early 20th C. Signed
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
A rare and highly charming antique porcelain figurine depicting a chick, designed by Anna Soennecken-Beckmann for the renowned Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory c. 1911. Created in t...
Porcelain
Antique Art Nouveau Silver Photograph Frame. English. Dated 1905
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Beautiful silver photo frame In art nouveau style Good clear hallmark for Birmingham 1905 Original bevelled glass Good condition Original oak back Free UK shipping
Silver
1920s Green Ceramic Vase, Upsala Ekeby, Sweden
By Allan Ebeling, Harald Östergren, Upsala Ekeby, Anna-Lisa Thomson, Ingrid Atterberg
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Antique emerald green art nouveau vase by Upsala Ekeby. Soft shaped shiny green and black organically glazed ceramic vase with two handles. Stamped and numbered under base. Beautif...
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware
French Art Nouveau Lilac and White Glass Pendant Light by Muller Strasbourg
Located in Barntrup, DE
Refined French Art Nouveau pendant light featuring handcrafted pâte de verre glass with softly opaline diffusion by Muller Strasbourg, suspended on an ornate brass chain, circa 1920....
Brass
Loetz Art Nouveau Iridescent Glass Vase with Gilt Figural Rim Austria circa 1895
By Loetz Glass
Located in Philadelphia, PA
An exceptional Art Nouveau vase by Loetz, dating to circa 1895, exemplifying the firm’s early mastery of iridescent art glass combined with sculptural metalwork. The hand-blown vesse...
Art Glass
Honey Pot Beehive Portieux or S. Reich & Co, Antique
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Antique Opaque Blue Glass Tureen by Reich & Co., Circa 1910s A striking antique opaque blue glass tureen by Reich & Co., dating to the 1910s or possibly earlier. This elegan...
Glass
$1,955Sale Price|25% Off
Authentic Émile Gallé Art Nouveau Vase with Wisteria Motif, circa 1910
By Émile Gallé
Located in Bochum, NRW
An exquisite authentic vase by Émile Gallé, master of French Art Nouveau glass. Circa 1910. Dimensions: Height 21 cm × Diameter 8 cm. This piece showcases a delicate interplay of pur...
Glass
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Cameo Glass "Summer Landscape" by Daum Frères
By Daum
Located in London, GB
A stunning late 19th Century French cameo glass vase etched and enamelled with a vibrant summer landscape, exhibiting excellent colour and detail. Signed to the base with enamelled m...
Glass
Art Nouveau French Emile Galle Cameo Glass Flowering Primula Vase c1908
By Émile Gallé
Located in Worcester Park, GB
A stunning Early Emile Cameo Vase very deeply cameoed to show profusely flowering Primula, in orange and opaque white over yellow -an unusual colourway making the orange 'pop' and al...
Art Glass
Early 20th Century Viennese Bronze Pen Wipe Pig Figurine, circa 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful bronze pig figurine as a Pen Wipe, early 20th century – patinated This finely crafted, unpainted Viennese bronze or brass figurine is believed to date from the early 20th ...
Bronze