Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
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 English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1940s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Wicker, Oak
1920s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Birch, Satinwood
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Mirror, Wood, Maple
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Bamboo, Leather
1910s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1910s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
20th Century Dutch Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Burl
2010s Italian Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Birch, Oak, Plywood
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany, Leather
1950s Vintage Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Chrome
2010s American Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1960s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Maple, Fabric
1890s Spanish Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Early 20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
Late 20th Century Philippine Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Upholstery, Wood, Lacquer
Early 1900s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Oak, Satinwood
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Wicker, Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Mahogany
2010s Mexican Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Maple
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
2010s Mexican Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables
Bamboo, Wood, Lacquer, Leather