Aesthetic Movement Shelves
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.
Late 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Metal
1910s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Lacquer
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Walnut
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Brass
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Glass, Mahogany
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Mahogany, Walnut
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Wicker, Rattan
1970s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Brass, Chrome
1920s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Satinwood, Walnut
1880s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Wicker, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Wood
Early 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Pine
Late 20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Teak
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Wood
1970s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Metal
20th Century Philippine Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Raffia
20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Brass, Steel
1980s Danish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Teak
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Lacquer
1890s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bronze
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Mahogany, Glass
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Wood
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bone, Bamboo, Mirror, Lacquer
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Brass
Late 19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Onyx, Marble, Metal, Brass
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Shelves
Bamboo, Wood