Aesthetic Movement Etagere
Antique 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Side Tables
Wood
Vintage 1910s European Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Lacquer
Antique Late 19th Century French Aesthetic Movement Side Tables
Bronze
Antique 1870s American Aesthetic Movement Side Tables
Wood
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Cabinets
Bamboo, Mirror, Wood
Antique 1880s English Aesthetic Movement Buffets
Oak
Antique 1870s English Aesthetic Movement Bookcases
Brass
Antique 19th Century Aesthetic Movement Bookcases
Bamboo, Mirror
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Bookcases
Bamboo, Lacquer
1990s Philippine Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Wicker, Wood, Bamboo
Late 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Metal
Vintage 1920s English Aesthetic Movement Corner Cupboards
Bamboo
People Also Browsed
Antique Early 1900s American Aesthetic Movement Dry Bars
Bamboo
Antique 1860s English Victorian Bookcases
Rosewood
Antique 1880s British Victorian Cabinets
Mahogany
Antique 1880s French Empire Armchairs
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century Victorian Glass
Glass
Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Secretaires
Marble
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Rosewood
Early 20th Century English Easels
Pine
Antique Late 18th Century English Georgian Night Stands
Mahogany
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Chrome
Antique 19th Century English Japonisme Side Tables
Lacquer, Mirror, Bamboo, Silk
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern More Candle Holders
Iron
Early 20th Century American Victorian Armchairs
Wicker
20th Century British Side Tables
Wood
Antique 1880s English Aesthetic Movement Settees
Gold
Antique Mid-19th Century Italian Baroque Revival Side Tables
Wood
Recent Sales
Antique 1880s American Aesthetic Movement Bookcases
Brass
Antique 19th Century English Shelves
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Cabinets
Faux Bamboo, Lacquer
Antique Late 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Cabinets
Mahogany
Vintage 1910s Unknown Aesthetic Movement End Tables
Bamboo, Wood, Lacquer, Paint
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Wood, Lacquer
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Wood, Lacquer
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Wood, Lacquer, Paint
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Cabinets
Bone, Bamboo, Mirror, Lacquer
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Cabinets
Brass
Antique 19th Century English Shelves
Cherry
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Wood, Lacquer
Antique 1890s American Aesthetic Movement Vitrines
Bronze
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Walnut
Vintage 1920s Austrian Aesthetic Movement Vitrines
Brass, Copper
Antique Late 19th Century British Aesthetic Movement Bookcases
Bamboo, Lacquer
Antique 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Glass, Wood, Lacquer
Antique 1880s American Aesthetic Movement Cabinets
Glass, Wood
Antique 19th Century British Aesthetic Movement End Tables
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Mirror, Lacquer
Vintage 1940s American American Empire End Tables
Mahogany
Antique Late 19th Century French Japonisme Tables
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Cabinets
Bamboo, Glass, Wood
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Murano Glass
Antique 19th Century English Shelves and Wall Cabinets
Late 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Wood
Antique Late 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Side Tables
Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Side Tables
Bamboo, Wood, Lacquer, Paint
Mid-20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo
Early 20th Century Chinese Aesthetic Movement Cabinets
Bamboo
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Wood
Antique Mid-19th Century English Dressers
Bamboo
Antique 1880s American Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Wicker, Rattan
Antique 1870s English Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Beech
Antique 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Corner Cupboards
Bamboo, Lacquer
Antique 19th Century English Cabinets
Bamboo, Alkyd
Antique 19th Century English Side Tables
Aesthetic Movement Etagere For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Aesthetic Movement Etagere?
A Close Look at 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.