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.
1930s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paint
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cherry
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Giltwood
20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
1960s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Angora
18th Century Portuguese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silk
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cowhide, Leather
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1860s Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
Mid-20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
19th Century Indian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Teak
1870s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Iron
Late 19th Century Turkish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Enamel
Mid-20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Silk
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century North American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Iron
Late 19th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
1890s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Vermeil, Silver Plate
Early 1900s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stoneware
Early 1900s German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Art Glass
19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze, Other
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather, Wood, Mahogany
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Plaster
19th Century Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bamboo, Giltwood, Lacquer
20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Acrylic, Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Burl, Oak
1960s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Ebony
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany, Satinwood
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Onyx, Brass
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ultrasuede, Burl, Mahogany
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Giltwood, Burl, Amboyna
1790s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Canvas





