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Aesthetic Movement Furniture

AESTHETIC MOVEMENT

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.

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Style: Aesthetic Movement
Store Showcase Cabinet Or Bookcase In Mahogany Early 19th Century
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Lovely little mahogany display cabinet or bookcase from the early 19th century circa 1820. Small model with cut corners which is unusual. It must certainly have been in a store as a...
Category

Early 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Mahogany

Tiffany and Co. Sterling Silver "Blackberry" Tazza
Located in New York, NY
This gleaming Tiffany and Co. Sterling Silver "Blackberry" Tazza originates from the United States, Circa 1895. Featuring a scalloped profile achieved with ornate organic designs and...
Category

1890s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Sterling Silver

Aesthetic Bamboo Gilt Iron Arm Chair
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage aesthetic style gilt metal bamboo arm chair.
Category

20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Metal

Aesthetic Bamboo Gilt Iron Side Chair
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage aesthetic style gilt metal bamboo side chair.
Category

20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Metal

Huichol Niereka Art Textile
Located in New York, NY
Mexican Huichol Niereka art textile depicting two figures, one with deer antlers shooting a bow and arrow at an anthropomorphic zoomorphic figure, housed ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Textile

German Majolica Bird Plate, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Category

Early 1900s German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Pair Of Globe Wernicke Bookcases In Oak -19th Century
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Elegant pair of large Globe Wernicke London bookcases in oak from the end of the 19th century - Early 20th century from England The two bookcases are made up of 5 elements The book...
Category

Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Oak

French Faience Sunflower Tureen Creil et Montereau, Circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Elegant and Rare French Faience sunflower Tureen Creil et Montereau Circa 1890. Signed C&M Le Soleil. Lemon handle.
Category

1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Faience

Pair, Antique Meissen Porcelain Ornithological & Gold Encrusted Chargers
Located in Atlanta, GA
Meissen (German, founded 1710), 20th century. A pair of fine quality porcelain chargers depicting two hand painted birds. Each centralized ornithological bird perched on a branch is...
Category

20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Enamel

Gillow and Co. Oak Octagonal Table, England, circa 1860
Located in Oxford, GB
Description Stamped and numbered oak octagonal drum Gillow and Co. pedestal table, circa 1860. Untouched and 100% authentic with just shy of 160 years of...
Category

Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Oak

French Oyster Plate Porcelain with Turkey Pattern Haviland Limoges
Located in Austin, TX
Antique 19th-century French porcelain oyster plate with turkey pattern signed Limoges Haviland.
Category

1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

E W Godwin Attr, . Aesthetic Movement Oak Armchair With Serpentine Shaped Back
Located in London, GB
Attributed to E W Godwin; An Aesthetic Movement oak armchair made by James Peddle. With shaped arms, turned front legs and saber back legs united by high stretchers. A comfortable ...
Category

Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Oak

Antique English Aesthetics Movement Bamboo and Lacquer Desk
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Impressive 19th century English desk handcrafted in bamboo in a Japonisme form featuring lacquered panels hand decorated with flowers and birds, the original brass hardware, leather ...
Category

19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bamboo

A large, shallow ceramic vase from France 1970s
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
A large, shallow ceramic vase from France, dating back to the 1970s, reminiscent of the work of Yves Mohy and the workshops of Virebent. It features abstract designs and exquisite en...
Category

1970s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Antique Aesthetic Foliate Carved Rosewood & Rouge Marble Side Table C1910
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique Aesthetic side stand offers rosewood construction with and inset rouge marble top, foliate carved skirt, lower shelf and raised on straight square legs, c1910 Measures - ...
Category

Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Marble

French Majolica Orchid Jardinière Onnaing, circa 1880
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica Orchid Jardinière Onnaing, circa 1880 Height / 8 inches. Diameter / 10.5 inches.
Category

1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Haviland Limoges Butterfly Handled Cup and saucer set, 1879-1889, Aesthetic
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Cup and saucer set by Haviland & Cie is decorated in Aesthetic style, combining elements of 3 different patterns. Meadow Visitors butterflies, placed between Bracquemond style sprays of pink roses and blue cornflowers, are accentuated with grey and gold medallions in abstract design. The butterflies and roses are decorated with raised enamel accents, and the butterfly shaped handle is outlined with delicate gold veins, tracing the wing pattern. The cup is 2.12" tall and 3.5" wide at the rim; the saucer is 5.65" in diameter. Set uses butterfly handled blank that was in production for relatively short time; factory decorated pieces are rather rare due to limited supply and fragility of the cups. This set is marked with the blue donut-shaped decorator mark, used in 1879-1889, on both cup and saucer, and underglaze green manufacturer marks: H&C on the cup, dating it 1876-1879, and H&C/L on the saucer, dating it 1876-1889. Examples of similar decorations, utilizing abstract border designs instead of medallions on china with Meadow Visitors decor, can be seen in Haviland China...
Category

19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Small Terrestrial Globe From J.forest - Paris
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Very beautiful little Terrestrial Globe from the beginning of the 20th century circa 1910 by J. Forest Paris Rue de Bucci The Terrestrial Globe has a very beautiful blackened wooden...
Category

Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Paper

Antique Engraved Sterling Silver Tiffany & Co Footed Salver Tray New York 1870
Located in Portland, OR
Antique Tiffany & Co footed sterling silver salver or tray, circa 1870. The circular footed tray is engraved in the aesthetic taste with fruiting flowers and having an 'egg & dart' e...
Category

1870s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Sterling Silver

French Porcelain 6-Well Oyster Plate, c.1890
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French porcelain oyster plate, circa 1890. Six shell shaped oyster wells with colorful, hand painted ‘eyes’ surround a central turquoise, round sauce well, outlined in gold. The ...
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Mirror 1970, style, Willy Rizzo
Located in Nice, FR
Rectangular mirror in speckled maple from the 1970s in the style of Willy Rizzo. In the center a mirror. Four in brass. Beautiful workmanship. Very good above a chest of drawers or ...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Mirror

Old Hand Painted "Fish" Tiles
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
nr. 1647 - Pair of antique "fish " tiles, hand painted under plaze. They were glued to the wall to embelish houses and gardens: I did it too at the seaside. I have other ones, that ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Azerbaijani Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Glass and mirror pedestal table, asymmetrical, Fontana Arte style, 1970
Located in Nice, FR
Round glass and mirror pedestal table with asymmetrical glass legs, mirrored top in the style of Fontana Arte from the 70s Italian work, design This pedestal table can be placed at t...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Glass, Mirror

Cauldon Dinner Plates, Set of 12
Located in Pasadena, CA
This is a beautifully decorated set of 12 Cauldon dinner plates that date to the first half of the 20th century. All of the plates are in very good condition and are ready for your n...
Category

Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Italian Gilt Lily Side Table
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage Italian gilt metal lily table with glass top.
Category

20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Metal

19th Century Oil On Canvas Equestrian Scene by George Armfield
By George Armfield
Located in Dublin 8, IE
George Armfield (1808-1893) oil on canvas painting, depicting an atmospheric scene of three horses to foreground with a thunderstorm in the background. Dramatic tension is created by...
Category

19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Paint

Studio Crafted Claro Walnut End Table, 1970s
Located in Coronado, CA
A stunning, studio crafted end table constructed of solid Claro walnut, made by an unknown designer in the 1970s. The table features a large storage area, a small drawer and a pull out tray for a drink...
Category

1970s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Aesthetic Movement Bamboo and Lacquer Etagere
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Aesthetic movement bamboo and lacquered etagere / canterbury, circa 1910. With bamboo frame work and lacquered panels. The lower section is a magazin...
Category

1910s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bamboo, Lacquer

Large Scale Gilt Bronze 6-Light Candelabra W/ Fox & Dog Hunting Scene
Located in Atlanta, GA
French, late 19th century. Good Quality Behold the epitome of grandeur and sophistication: a truly magnificent Large Scale Gilt Bronze 6-Light Candelabra, resplendent with an enchan...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Brown Wedgewood Transferware wall plates England, 1880s
Located in Milan, IT
Set of Three Brown Wedgewood Transferware wall plates England, 1880s The smaller wall plates measure 16.8 x 16.8 x H 3 cm
Category

1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

French Brown Majolica Oyster Plate, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Very rare French Majolica oyster plate, circa 1890. White flower on the center and leaves.
Category

1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

Josiah Wedgwood Colored Cabbage Leaf on Basket Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A majolica multi-colored glazed cabbage leaf on basket rim plate, Josiah Wedgwood, circa 1870. Most often found in a solid green glaze, cabbage leaf plates were also made briefly i...
Category

Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Earthenware

Circa 1880s Set of Fish Knives & Forks for 6, English
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
A circa 1880s set of fish knives & forks for 6, English. Silverplate made by William Hutton & Sons, Sheffield. Aesthetic taste. Fine condition. Knife: 9.5" x 7/8" blade, Fork: 7 7/8"...
Category

Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Silver Plate

Large Majolica Thistle Jardinière Onnaing, circa 1880
Located in Austin, TX
Large Majolica thistle jardinière Onnaing, circa 1880. Height / 9.5 inches. Diameter / 13 inches.
Category

1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

1950s French Carved Giltwood And Painted Acorn And Leaf Sconces - Pair
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a pair of carved giltwood French sconces that depict spiraling leaves with branches and acorns. They most likely date to the 1950s. The pair is not electrified.
Category

1950s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Giltwood

An Elegant Pair of Antique French, Gilt and Patinated Bronze Figure Candelabra
Located in Lambertville, NJ
An elegant pair of antique French, guilt and patinated bronze figure candelabra from the 1870s the pair with two different patinated bronze bust centers with the rest in its brillian...
Category

1870s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

13 Davenport 19th c. Dessert Set W/ Aesthetic Movement Teal Blue Fern Subjects
Located in Great Barrington, MA
This set of 13 Aesthetic Movement dessert plates with matching serving compote, were made by Davenport ca. 1890's and feature hand decorated ferns surrounding the molded floral relie...
Category

1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Large Majolica Thistle Jardinière Onnaing, circa 1880
Located in Austin, TX
Large Majolica thistle jardinière Onnaing, circa 1880. Height / 9 inches. Diameter / 13 inches.
Category

1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

19th Century American Aesthetic Period Grain Painted Stool with Upholstered Seat
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
American Aesthetic Movement footstool on four tapered legs below a shaped and pierced apron, the legs connected with ball and ring turned x-stretcher centering a large red sphere wit...
Category

Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Vintage Wicker Garden or Porch Planter Stand
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Fabulous, 1930s, tightly woven wicker plant holder with spiral turned wood legs. Painted motif of red and black in center. High skilled craftsmanship. Galvanized inner liner.   
Category

Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Wicker, Wood

Wedgwood Majolica Tortoise Glazed Scallop-Shell Seafood Server, 1889
Located in Philadelphia, PA
From Wedgwood, an English majolica scallop shell shaped seafood serving dish, date marked 1889. Showing the mottled tortoiseshell glazing of greens, amber, and brown. The mold refle...
Category

19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Earthenware

Pair of Wood & Hughes Sterling Silver Zephyr Pattern Gravy or Sauce Ladles
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine pair of silver gravy or sauce ladles. By Wood & Hughes. In sterling silver. In the Zephyr pattern. Each ladle with a gilt bowl and raised geometric decoration to the hand...
Category

19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Sterling Silver

Large Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Hand Wrought Black Iron Andirons
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Large Aesthetic Movement Hand Wrought Black Iron Andirons 28” Tall By 22” deep and 16” wide. Each andiron is one piece. Great condition with just s...
Category

Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Wrought Iron

Bench ceramic contemporary glaze
Located in Rubi, Catalunya
Handmade earthanware Bench manufactured at the workshop of Apparatu in Barcelona. Different clay bodys are mixed with natural fibers like corn, straw, or heather straw. The pieces ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware

Circa 1880-1900 Seashells & Seaweed Motif Fish Service by Limoges
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Circa 1880-1900 sea shells & seaweed motif fish service, Limoges, France. Comprised of a platter, shell bowl, 8 plates & 8 sauce dishes. All but sauce dishes are R. Delinieres & Co, ...
Category

1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Porcelain

Big Lustre A Cage Antique Chandelier Crystal Brass
Located in Berlin, DE
Elegant Antique Chandelier: A Testament to Craftsmanship and Grace Behold the splendor of the past revitalized in our meticulously restored old chandelier, a true masterpiece that e...
Category

1880s German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Crystal, Brass

19th C Bronze pendant with Bats
Located in Hudson, NY
Amazing. Bronze. Possibly Austrian. Wonderful patina. This is not currently wired. If you have any questions or would like it wired please reach out.
Category

Late 19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Set of 6 1880-83 Sterling Silver Tablespoons by Gorham
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Set of 6 Gorham's Cluny sterling silver tablespoons, 1880-1883. One of the greatest silver designs of the Aesthetic Movement in America. Obverse monogra...
Category

1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Sterling Silver

Pair, Aesthetic Movement Jeweled Bronze 2-Candle Wall Mirrors C. 1890
Located in Atlanta, GA
Likely English, circa 1890. A pair of heavy and good quality bronze 2-light wall sconces. Each with a pierced surface showing arrays of floral, foliate and inset with 4 beautiful je...
Category

Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Bruce Talbert, stamped Gillows. An Aesthetic Movement upholstered oak armchair.
Located in London, GB
Bruce Talbert attributed, stamped Gillows. An Aesthetic Movement oak armchair. It was professionally re-upholstered in a light blue Damask.
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Oak

Rare Aesthetic Movement Ebonized Center Table w/ Bronze Masks ca. 1870
By Pottier & Stymus
Located in Shippensburg, PA
A RARE AESTHETIC MOVEMENT EBONIZED MARQUETRY-INLAID PARCEL GILT CENTER TABLE WITH BRONZE MASKS OF DIANA OF ANET In the manner of Pottier & Stymus of New York unmarked ca. 1870 Item...
Category

19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Bronze

French Porcelain Octagonal Hand-Painted Oyster Plate, c.1890
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French porcelain oyster plate, circa 1890-1910. Octagonal in shape and glazed in a lovely soft turquoise, the five oyster wells sit on a bed of stylized coral or sea weed. The wh...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Kimble & Cabus Aesthetic Walnut Hanging Bookcase Circa 1890
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique Aesthetic wall shelf in the manner of Kimble & Cabus offers walnut construction with double door cabinet below shelves, c1890 Measures - 56.5"h x 31.25"w x 8.25"d
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Aesthetic Movement Scissor Action Drop Leaf Side Table Made from Hungarian Ash
Located in London, GB
A Continental Aesthetic Movement scissor action drop leaf side table with a wild grain Hungarian Ash top. A secret drawer that has a button underneath to...
Category

1890s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ash

Aesthetic Movement Sterling Silver Parcel Gilt Serving Spoon - J.E. Caldwell
Located in New York, NY
Large, beautiful, Aesthetic Movement, sterling silver, parcel gilt serving spoon (great for vegetables, cake/pie, desserts, potatoes, etc.), J.E. Caldwell, Philadelphia, Ca. 1880's. ...
Category

1870s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Gold, Sterling Silver

German Majolica Swallows Plate, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
German majolica aqua plate with birds swallow and insect circa 1900.
Category

Early 1900s German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Antique Art Pottery Stoneware Dalton Lambeth Oil Lamp Signed Edith Lupton 1884
Located in Portland, OR
An exhibition quality Doulton Lambeth stoneware Aesthetic Movement oil lamp, Edith D Lupton, signed & dated 1884. This very fine & large oil lamp was d...
Category

1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Brass

Bentwood Chair with arms Model No 14 Art Nouveau Chair Thonet Austria 1890
Located in Stow on the Wold, GB
Wonderful bentwood chair, produced by Thonet, this design originally dates from 1859. Made from bent solid and laminated Beech construction with moulded plywood seat. This chair date...
Category

1890s Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture

Materials

Beech, Bentwood

Aesthetic Movement furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Aesthetic Movement furniture 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 furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, decorative objects, seating and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Aesthetic Movement furniture made in a specific country, there are Europe, United Kingdom, and England pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original furniture, popular names associated with this style include Minton, Doulton Lambeth, Christopher Dresser, and Wedgwood. 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 furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $65 and tops out at $86,402 while the average work can sell for $1,820.

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