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Art Nouveau Decorative Art

ART NOUVEAU STYLE

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

  • Sinuous, organic and flowing lines
  • Forms that mimic flowers and plant life
  • Decorative inlays and ornate carvings of natural-world motifs such as insects and animals 
  • Use of hardwoods such as oak, mahogany and rosewood

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.

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Style: Art Nouveau
19th French Majolica Pink Daisy Plate Delphin Massier
Located in Austin, TX
19th French Majolica Pink Daisy Plate Delphin Massier.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

French Majolica Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica daisy plate Orchies unsigned, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

French Majolica Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica daisy plate Orchies unsigned, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

19th French Majolica Asparagus Plate Iris Longchamp
Located in Austin, TX
Rare 19th French Majolica Asparagus Octogonal Plate signed Iris Longchamp. Iris, dragonfly and yellow daisies.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Cyclamens Plate Schultz Cilli, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Lovely Majolica pink & purple cyclamens plate signed Schultz Cilli, circa 1900, Art Nouveau. Diameter / 6.7 inches.
Category

Early 1900s Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Large Majolica Pink Butterfly Wall Pocket Fives Lille, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Large Majolica pink butterfly wall pocket signed Fives Lille, circa 1900.
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Faience

Majolica Water Lily Asparagus Plate Keller & Guerin Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Art Nouveau asparagus plate unsigned Keller et Guerin Saint Clement Every important French manufactures produced at the end of the 19th century asparagus and artichoke sets...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Majolica

Majolica Pink Butterfly Wall Pocket Fives Lille, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica pink butterfly wall pocket signed Fives Lille, circa 1900.
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Faience

French Majolica Pink Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica pink daisy plate Orchies, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Gray Butterfly Plate Josef Steidl Znaim, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica butterfly plate Josef Steidl Znaim, circa 1890.
Category

1890s Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Josef Hoffmann Jugendstil Wiener Werkstaette Art Nouveau Coat Hook, Re-Edition
Located in Vienna, AT
Very elegant handmade coat-hook. Literature: Waltraud Neuwirth, Wiener Werkstaette – Avant Garde Art Deco, Industrial Design, 1985 Vienna p. 49. Different hooks are available see pi...
Category

2010s Austrian Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Brass

French Majolica Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica daisy plate Orchies unsigned, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Antoni Gaudi Decorative Ceramic Spanish Tile of Casa Vicens
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Decorative ceramic tile by Antoni Gaudi, inspired by the marigold and dianthus motifs on the decorative ceramic tiles he designed for the facade of Casa Vicens, which constitute some...
Category

Early 20th Century Spanish Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Original Vintage Print by Harry Clarke. C.1920
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful image by Harry Clarke Lithograph. Published C.1920 Unframed Free shipping
Category

1920s British Vintage Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Original Vintage Print by Harry Clarke From Poe's "Mystery And Imagination" 1935
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful image by Harry Clarke Originally an illustration from " Tales of Mystery And Imagination " By Edgar Allan Poe. Lithograph. Tipped in plate on paper. Published by Tudor P...
Category

1930s British Vintage Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Rare Domed Wiener Werkstaette Vienna Art Nouveau Enameled Advertising Sign
Located in Vienna, AT
A rare, domed, black and white enameled Art Nouveau advertising sign for Wiener Werkstätte, founded by Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser and Fritz ...
Category

Early 1900s Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Metal, Enamel, Iron

Pair Art Nouveau Bronze Relief Wall Plaques
Located in Kastrup, DK
Pair of fine Art Nouveau / Jugendstyl gilt bronze relief wall plaques, with wonderful details, mounted in walnut frames. The reliefs depict Diana, ...
Category

Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Bronze

Majolica Flowers and Butterfly Plate Wasmuel, Circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica flowers and butterfly plate Wasmuel circa 1890.
Category

1890s Belgian Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

L'art Photographique Cover by Alphonse Mucha, 1899
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
The editor of the publishing journal L'Art Photographique George Carre had stressed his intentions, but inability to have photographic covers for the journal. The talented Artist Alphonso Mucha...
Category

1880s Czech Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

French Majolica Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica daisy plate Orchies unsigned, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

19th Century Majolica Flowers and Butterfly Plate Wasmuel
Located in Austin, TX
19th Century Majolica flowers and butterfly plate Wasmuel.
Category

1880s Belgian Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Blue Butterfly Plate Josef Steidl Znaim, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica butterfly plate Josef Steidl Znaim, circa 1890.
Category

1890s Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Blue Butterfly Plate Josef Steidl Znaim, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica butterfly plate Josef Steidl Znaim, circa 1890.
Category

1890s Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Josef Hoffmann Wiener Werkstätte Vienna Art Nouveau Enamel Advertising Sign
Located in Vienna, AT
A rare, domed, black, white & blue enameled Art Nouveau advertising plate. Designed by Josef Hoffmann in 1905 for Wiener Werkstatte (founded by Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser and Frit...
Category

Early 1900s Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Metal, Enamel, Iron

French Majolica Pink Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica pink daisy plate Orchies, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Dragonfly Wall Pocket Desvres, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica dragonfly wall pocket by Desvres, circa 1900.     
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Blue Butterfly Plate Josef Steidl Znaim, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica butterfly plate Josef Steidl Znaim, circa 1890.
Category

1890s Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Dragonfly Wall Pocket Fives Lille, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica dragonfly wall signed pocket by Fives Lille, circa 1900.  
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Blue Butterfly Plate Josef Steidl Znaim, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica butterfly plate Josef Steidl Znaim, circa 1890.
Category

1890s Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

1 of the 86 Authentic Glazed Art Nouveau Relief Tiles Rose, Belga, circa 1930s
Located in Rijssen, NL
This is an amazing set of antique Art Nouveau handmade tiles with an image of yellow rose in relief on a soft yellow background. These tiles would be charming displayed on easels, fr...
Category

1930s Belgian Vintage Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

19th Century Majolica Flowers and Butterfly Plate Wasmuel
Located in Austin, TX
19th Century Majolica flowers and butterfly plate Wasmuel.
Category

1880s Belgian Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Original Vintage Print by Harry Clarke From Poe's "Mystery And Imagination" 1935
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful image by Harry Clarke Originally an illustration from " Tales of Mystery And Imagination " By Edgar Allan Poe. Lithograph. Tipped in plate on paper. Published by Tudor P...
Category

1930s British Vintage Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

French Majolica Morning Glory Wall Pocket Fives Lille, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica morning glory wall pocket fives lille, circa 1890. With a butterfly.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Faience

19th Century French Majolica Water Lily Wall Pocket
Located in Austin, TX
19th Century French Majolica Water Lily Wall Pocket.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Majolica Dragonfly Wall Pocket Fives Lille, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica dragonfly wall pocket by Fives Lille, circa 1900.   
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Rare Art Nouveau Terracotta Wall Plaque, Early 20th Century
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
Rare French Art Nouveau terracotta wall plaque, France, early 20th century. We had never seen this model before. This beautifully crafted plaque depicts a wood gatherer in the windy ...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Brass

French Majolica Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica daisy plate Orchies unsigned, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

French Majolica Purple Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica purple daisy plate Orchies, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

French Majolica Jugendstil Art Nouveau Ceramic Plate, circa 1900
Located in Boven Leeuwen, NL
Beautiful French Majolica wall plate from the Jugendstil / Art Nouveau period (ca 1900). Elegant design with a lovely lady in the middle. Nu...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Extra Lage Size, Copper Kitchen Utensils Wood & Iron Forged Pot Holder Antique
Located in Mombuey, Zamora
Spectacular pice Very large size 75 cm The lot is made up of: 1 wooden and wrought iron hanger (19th century) 11 copper and iron pans and skimmers (early 20th century) Antique copper and wrought iron kitchen...
Category

1890s Spanish Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Copper, Iron

Majolica Daisy Wall Pocket Keller & Guerin Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Daisies Wall Pocket signed Keller & Guerin Saint Clement.
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Bat Plaque
Located in Chicago, US
Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parcel services are an option, the defau...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Fruitwood

French Majolica White Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica white daisy plate Orchies, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Asparagus Plate with Cyclamens Keller & Guerin Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Art Nouveau asparagus plate with cyclamens signed Keller et Guerin Saint Clement. Every important French manufactures produced at the end of the 19th century asparagus and a...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Majolica, Ceramic

Majolica Asparagus Plate with Cyclamens Keller & Guerin Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Art Nouveau asparagus plate with cyclamens signed Keller et Guerin Saint Clement. Every important French manufactures produced at the end of the 19th century asparagus and a...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Majolica

Original Vintage Print by Harry Clarke From Poe's "Mystery And Imagination" 1935
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful image by Harry Clarke Originally an illustration from " Tales of Mystery And Imagination " By Edgar Allan Poe. Lithograph. Tipped in plate on paper Published by Tudor Pu...
Category

1930s British Vintage Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Small Majolica Sunflower Plate Villeroy & Boch, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Small Majolica sunflower plate Villeroy & Boch, circa 1900. Diameter / 6.6 inches.
Category

Early 1900s German Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Excuisite Pair of Antique Majolica Wall Plates Kingfisher Bird Pattern
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
A lovely antique pair of large Art Nouveau decorative majolica wall plates with kingfishers sitting on branches above a lakeside with waterlillies ...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

19th Century French Majolica Asparagus Plate Iris Longchamp
Located in Austin, TX
Rare 19th French Majolica Asparagus octogonal plate signed Iris Longchamp. Iris, dragonfly and daisies.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Cyclamens Plate Schultz Cilli, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Lovely Majolica pink & purple cyclamens flowers plate signed Schultz Cilli, circa 1900, Art Nouveau.
Category

Early 1900s Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Carnation Wall Pocket Delphin Massier, circa 1880
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Carnation Wall Pocket Delphin Massier, circa 1880.
Category

1880s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Pair of brown Lacquer on Wood Panels Art Nouveau Floral Japanese Style .
Located in Miami, FL
Two Lacquer panels on wood Japanese inspiration soft colors , floral theme. Style Art Nouveau// Art Deco. French origine. Could fit perfectly above a pair of Art Deco or art Nouveau ...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Wood

Original Vintage Print by Harry Clarke From Poe's "Mystery And Imagination" 1935
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful image by Harry Clarke Originally an illustration from " Tales of Mystery And Imagination " By Edgar Allan Poe. Lithograph. Tipped in plate on paper. Published by Tudor P...
Category

1930s British Vintage Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Antique Art Nouveau Stained Window Glass by Covina, 1930's
Located in Lisboa, PT
This Art Nouveau Painted Glass was produced in Portugal, by Covina - Companhia Vidreira Nacional, during the 1930's. It belonged to a door or a window and is a hand painted behind gl...
Category

1930s Portuguese Vintage Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Glass

Original Vintage Print by Harry Clarke. C.1920
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful image by Harry Clarke Lithograph. Published C.1920 Unframed Free shipping
Category

1920s British Vintage Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

French Majolica Flowers Plate Orchies Circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica flowers plate Orchies Circa 1900.
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

French Majolica Frog Wall Pocket Jerome Massier Fils Vallauris, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica Frog Wall Pocket Jerome Massier Fils Vallauris, circa 1900. The Massier are known for the quality of their unique enamels and paintings. The Massier family produced d...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

French Faience Plate Emile Galle Saint Clement, Circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
French Faience plate signed Emile Galle Saint Clement Circa 1900. Decorated with cornucopia and flowers, butterfly.
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Iridescent Art Nouveau Wall Tile "Birch Forest" by Alexandre Marius for BACS
Located in Chicago, US
This piece was executed by Maurice Alexandre. BACS - EDON ROC, CAP D’ANTIBES, FRANCE (1912-1927) BACS workshop was formed by four colleagues employed by Clement Massier: Jean Barol...
Category

1910s French Vintage Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Earthenware

Pair Of Rare Art Nouveau Stain Glass Windows With Scrolling Tulip & Bud Motif
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
Hard to capture the beauty of these rare stained glass Art Nouveau windows. They come alive when let by natural sunlight to display dazzling warm hu...
Category

Early 1900s English Antique Art Nouveau Decorative Art

Materials

Stained Glass

Art Nouveau decorative art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Art Nouveau decorative art for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage decorative art created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include wall decorations, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, building and garden elements and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Art Nouveau decorative art made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Austria pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original decorative art, popular names associated with this style include Orchies, Fives-Lille, Antoni Gaudí, and Delphin Massier. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for decorative art differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $69 and tops out at $106,611 while the average work can sell for $711.

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