Aesthetic Movement Paintings
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.
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Paint, Paper
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas, Wood
Late 19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Porcelain
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Paint
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
Mid-19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Burl, Paper
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Paint
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Wood
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Paint
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Enamel
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Paint
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
Early 2000s American Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Paint
Early 20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary American Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Acrylic
1980s American Vintage Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
1960s Belgian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Acrylic
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas, Paint
1950s Swedish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Paint
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Porcelain, Giltwood
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
1890s Dutch Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
19th Century Unknown Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Glass
19th Century Unknown Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Bronze
Late 19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Porcelain
1890s Belgian Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Natural Fiber
1790s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
Early 20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
Mid-19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
Mid-20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
1890s Spanish Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
Early 20th Century Belgian Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
1890s Dutch Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas
Early 2000s Spanish Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas, Paint
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Fruitwood
1940s Austrian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Paint
20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Paint, Paper
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Paint
1950s Irish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Paint
Early 1900s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Paintings
Canvas, Paint