Aesthetic Movement Seating
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.
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Beech
Early 1900s Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Cane, Bentwood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Walnut
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Beech
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Walnut
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Berlin Iron
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Seating
Bamboo
19th Century Spanish Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Wood
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Chestnut
20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Seating
Leather
19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Ebony, Walnut
19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Ebony, Walnut
19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Ebony, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Aesthetic Movement Seating
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Seating
Metal
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Seating
Metal
Early 1900s Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Bentwood
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Fabric, Wood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Seating
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Aesthetic Movement Seating
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
1890s Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Beech, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Aesthetic Movement Seating
Jacquard, Velvet
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Mohair, Bamboo
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Rush, Beech
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Wood, Oak, Walnut
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Silk, Mahogany
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Beech
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Beech
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Walnut
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Beech
1840s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Beech
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Satinwood
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Walnut
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Rosewood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Mahogany
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Rosewood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Beech
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Walnut
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Fruitwood
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Walnut
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Walnut
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Seating
Rosewood