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Art Nouveau Bookcases

ART NOUVEAU STYLE

In its sinuous lines and flamboyant curves inspired by the natural world, antique Art Nouveau furniture reflects a desire for freedom from the stuffy social and artistic strictures of the Victorian era. The Art Nouveau movement developed in the decorative arts in France and Britain in the early 1880s and quickly became a dominant aesthetic style in Western Europe and the United States.

ORIGINS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN

  • Sinuous, organic and flowing lines
  • Forms that mimic flowers and plant life
  • Decorative inlays and ornate carvings of natural-world motifs such as insects and animals 
  • Use of hardwoods such as oak, mahogany and rosewood

ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

ANTIQUE ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

Art Nouveau — which spanned furniture, architecture, jewelry and graphic design — can be easily identified by its lush, flowing forms suggested by flowers and plants, as well as the lissome tendrils of sea life. Although Art Deco and Art Nouveau were both in the forefront of turn-of-the-20th-century design, they are very different styles — Art Deco is marked by bold, geometric shapes while Art Nouveau incorporates dreamlike, floral motifs. The latter’s signature motif is the "whiplash" curve — a deep, narrow, dynamic parabola that appears as an element in everything from chair arms to cabinetry and mirror frames.

The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau was particularly influenced by the soft colors and abstract images of nature seen in Japanese art prints, which arrived in large numbers in the West after open trade was forced upon Japan in the 1860s. Impressionist artists were moved by the artistic tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking, and Japonisme — a term used to describe the appetite for Japanese art and culture in Europe at the time — greatly informed Art Nouveau. 

The Art Nouveau style quickly reached a wide audience in Europe via advertising posters, book covers, illustrations and other work by such artists as Aubrey Beardsley, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha. While all Art Nouveau designs share common formal elements, different countries and regions produced their own variants.

In Scotland, the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh developed a singular, restrained look based on scale rather than ornament; a style best known from his narrow chairs with exceedingly tall backs, designed for Glasgow tea rooms. Meanwhile in France, Hector Guimard — whose iconic 1896 entry arches for the Paris Metro are still in use — and Louis Majorelle produced chairs, desks, bed frames and cabinets with sweeping lines and rich veneers. 

The Art Nouveau movement was known as Jugendstil ("Youth Style") in Germany, and in Austria the designers of the Vienna Secession group — notably Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann and Joseph Maria Olbrich — produced a relatively austere iteration of the Art Nouveau style, which mixed curving and geometric elements.

Art Nouveau revitalized all of the applied arts. Ceramists such as Ernest Chaplet and Edmond Lachenal created new forms covered in novel and rediscovered glazes that produced thick, foam-like finishes. Bold vases, bowls and lighting designs in acid-etched and marquetry cameo glass by Émile Gallé and the Daum Freres appeared in France, while in New York the glass workshop-cum-laboratory of Louis Comfort Tiffany — the core of what eventually became a multimedia decorative-arts manufactory called Tiffany Studios — brought out buoyant pieces in opalescent favrile glass. 

Jewelry design was revolutionized, as settings, for the first time, were emphasized as much as, or more than, gemstones. A favorite Art Nouveau jewelry motif was insects (think of Tiffany, in his famed Dragonflies glass lampshade).

Like a mayfly, Art Nouveau was short-lived. The sensuous, languorous style fell out of favor early in the 20th century, deemed perhaps too light and insubstantial for European tastes in the aftermath of World War I. But as the designs on 1stDibs demonstrate, Art Nouveau retains its power to fascinate and seduce.

There are ways to tastefully integrate a touch of Art Nouveau into even the most modern interior — browse an extraordinary collection of original antique Art Nouveau furniture on 1stDibs, which includes decorative objects, seating, tables, garden elements and more.

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Style: Art Nouveau
Large Carlo Bugatti Library, 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Large Carlo Bugatti bookcase, 19th Century, Wood, Bone, Copper and Parchment Marquetry. Large late 19th century or early 20th century Carlo Bugatti bookcase in wood, bone, copper an...
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19th Century French Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Copper

Library, Northern Europe, circa 1900.
Located in Chorzów, PL
Library, Northern Europe, circa 1900. Very good condition, after renovation. Wood: oak + walnut dimensions: height 184 cm width 158 cm depth 54 cm
Category

Early 1900s Norwegian Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Oak, Walnut

Original Jugendstil Bücherschrank, Wien um 1910
Located in Wien, AT
Objekt: Bücherschrank Entwurf: unbekannt, Wien um 1910 Modell-Nummer: - Ausführung: unbekannte Kunstmöbeltischlerei, Wien um 1910 Maße in cm (H x B x T): 163 x 90 x 44 Material: Weic...
Category

1910s Austrian Vintage Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Art Nouveau Oak Jugendstil Revolving Bookcase, 1900s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Stunning and elegant Art Nouveau Jugendstil revolving bookcase. Striking Dutch design from the 1900s. Solid oak and the wheels are in good working order. This wonderful Art Nouveau ...
Category

Early 1900s Dutch Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Oak

Büchertisch / Musikalientisch / Notentisch ÉMILE GALLÉ, Nancy, um 1903
Located in Aachen, DE
Seltener Musikalientisch Emile Gallé, gefertigt in Nancy um 1903. Der ursprüngliche Zweck war möglicherweise die Aubewahrung von Notenheften / Partituren, dies würde die Größe der Fä...
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Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Wood

Oak Art Nouveau One-Door Bookcase, 1900s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Stunning and rare Art Nouveau one-door bookcase. Striking Dutch design from the 1900s. Solid oak with original beveled glass in the door. Three solid oak shelves, adjustable in heigh...
Category

Early 1900s Dutch Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Antique wooden column bookcase (narrow), UK, 19th century
Located in London, GB
A monumental towering wooden column bookcase, thought to have been designed for offices of importance in 19th century England. Interchangeable slats allow for the heights of the she...
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19th Century British Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Wood

19th Century Antique wooden column bookcase, UK
Located in London, GB
A monumental towering wooden column bookcase, thought to have been designed for offices of importance in 19th century England. Interchangeable slats allow for the heights of the she...
Category

19th Century British Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Wood

RARE ANTIQUE ART NOUVEAU REVOLViNG BOOKCASE TABLE IN THE LIBERTY'S LONDON TASTE
Located in GB
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very fine antique very fine, hand made in England in the Art Nouveau taste, oak revolving bookcase tabl...
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19th Century European Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Oak

Antique English Victorian Art Nouveau Oak Breakfront Bookcase Display Cabinet
Located in Glasgow, GB
A beautiful Victorian three door breakfront bookcase or display cabinet attributed to Maple & Co and in the Art Nouveau/Arts & Crafts taste. In golden quarter-sawn oak with bevelled ...
Category

19th Century English Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Glass, Oak

EXTRA LARGE UNIQUE ANTiQUE VICTORIAN ART NOUVEAU HAND CARVED REVOLVING BOOKCASE
Located in GB
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very fine antique very fine, fully restored, hand made in England in the Art Nouveau taste, oak revolvi...
Category

19th Century English Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Hardwood, Oak

Bookcase in Design of Josef Hoffmann/Art Nouveau (Vienna, 1970)
Located in Wien, AT
Objekt: Bücherregal Entwurf: Design angelehnt an Josef Hoffmann Modell-Nummer: - Ausführung: unbekannte Kunstmöbeltischlerei, um 1970 Maße in cm (H x B x T): 145 x 80 x 30 Material: ...
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1970s Austrian Vintage Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Art Nouveau Bookcase with Intarsia (circa 1905)
Located in Wien, AT
Objekt: Bücherkasten Entwurf: unbekannt, um 1905 Modell-Nummer: - Ausführung: unbekannte Kunstmöbeltischlerei, Wien um 1905 Maße in cm (H x B x T): 194 x 127 x 50 Material: Mahagoni ...
Category

Early 1900s Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Black Art Nouveau Bookcase with Glassfront and Brassfittings (Vienna, 1910)
Located in Wien, AT
Instagram: traudes.kinder Website: www . traudeskinder . com Objekt: Bücherkasten Entwurf: unbekannt, vermutlich Wien um 1910 Modell-Nummer: - Ausführung: unbekannte Kunstmöbeltisch...
Category

1910s Austrian Vintage Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Art Nouveau Bookcase (Vienna, circa 1910)
Located in Wien, AT
Objekt: Bücherkasten Entwurf: unbekannt, um 1910 Modell-Nummer: - Ausführung: unbekannte Kunstmöbeltischlerei, Wien um 1910 Maße in cm (H x B x T): 154 x 108 x 47 Material: Buche (ma...
Category

1910s Austrian Vintage Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Important Louis Majorelle Art Nouveau Bookcase Desk Desk-Chair & Filing Cabinet
Located in Lisse, NL
Unique museum quality, 4-piece Parisian Art Nouveau office furniture set. As far as we know, this is the most complete, Louis Majorelle office furniture set that has been offered in the world in the past 50 years. Most collectors and enthousiasts will know how rare a set like this is, but what makes it even more astonishing is its condition. Apart from the leather on the back of the original desk chair, this set could hardly be in better condition and it would certainly grace any museum for applied arts. The only known office set that comes close to this original and complete set is in the collection of the MAAS museum in Sydney, Australia. So if you are looking for an original, great condition and very rare, antique office interior by one of the world's best Art Nouveau designers then this is your chance. We are convinced it will be the only one you'll ever get. Also, because the Majorelle filing cabinet in this set is the first one of its kind that we have ever seen. For this amazing set of four we have created three listings so that we are able to show you enough pictures of the many hand carved and hand-crafted wooden, bronze, glass and design details per item. Mind you, this stunning and almost 8 feet tall 'bibliotheque' or 'library bookcase' is the first one of the three listings that, together, show and describe this unique Louis Majorelle office of amazing quality and beauty. In image 8 of this listing is a photo of the complete set as shot in one of our facilities. This here Majorelle bookcase is the largest and best condition specimen that you will ever see and the workmanship is as good as you will ever be able to find. The deeply hand carved organic plant motifs are simply amazing and these motifs are to be found in all four pieces that this set consists of. What makes this stunning and predominantly solid nutwood bookcase extra special are the inlaid geometrical patterns in both the door panels and in the sides. However, the most impressive and aesthetically special features are the mint condition art glass panels with the top quality forged and hand hammered brass details in the upper part of each door. These metal worker's details, by the way, are the same organic plant motifs as the hand carved ones in the legs and in the 'roof' of this largest ever Majorelle cabinet (as shown in image 9 of this listing). Especially with the doors open you can see the vivid irridescent colors that are in the glass art panels. Below these art glass panels in the doors are large and also superb condtion, beveled glass windows. All the bookshelfs inside of this work of art bookcase are height adjustable and all are in very good condition too. All three doors come with perfect working locks and each door has its own bronze Majorelle designed key (one key is original and we had two more cast). Finally, this antique and museum quality, Art Nouveau gem...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Brass, Bronze, Iron

Art Deco / Art Nouveau Bookcase Display Cabinet, 1920
Located in Lüdinghausen, DE
Bookcase restored Art Deco / Art Nouveau around 1920 display cabinet Features: Three-door model with three drawers and open compartment Very high quality processing Cassette fi...
Category

20th Century Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

Oak Art Nouveau Jugendstil Revolving Bookcase, 1900s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Stunning Art Nouveau Jugendstil revolving bookcase. Striking Dutch design from the 1900s. Solid oak and the wheels are in good working order. This wonderful Art Nouveau Jugendstil...
Category

Early 1900s Dutch Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Oak

Nouveau Collection / SUIII2 Shelving Unit Made from Stained Pine Wood
Located in PRAHA 10, CZ
Delicate, soft-touch matte furniture collection — inspired by the Art Nouveau aesthetics. Nouveau draws from the work of Art Nouveau artists such as František Bílek. Paying homage to...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Czech Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Wood, Pine

Nouveau Collection / SUI2 Shelving Unit Made from Stained Birch Wood
Located in PRAHA 10, CZ
Delicate, soft-touch matte furniture collection — inspired by the Art Nouveau aesthetics. Nouveau draws from the work of Art Nouveau artists such as František Bílek. Paying homage to...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Czech Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Wood, Birch

Nouveau Collection / SUI3 Shelving Unit Made from Stained Birch Wood
Located in PRAHA 10, CZ
Delicate, soft-touch matte furniture collection — inspired by the Art Nouveau aesthetics. Nouveau draws from the work of Art Nouveau artists such as František Bílek. Paying homage to...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Czech Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Wood, Birch

RARE ANTIQUE HEAVILY CARVED ART NOUVEAU DWARF OPEN BOOKCASE CARVED SERPENTs
Located in GB
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for this really quite stunning Antique circa 1860-1880 Art Nouveau style bookcase which is wonderfully curved to the ...
Category

1860s European Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Oak

Shapland & Petter Edwardian Mother of Pearl Inlaid Mahogany Display Cabinet
Located in Altrincham, GB
Shapland & Petter Edwardian mother of pearl inlaid mahogany display cabinet, stamped to lock and fitted with a series of shelves and mirror a...
Category

Early 1900s English Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Mother-of-Pearl, Mahogany

Austrian Wiener Werkstätte Bookcase/ Shelf /Bakers Rack/ Display Stand
Located in New York City, NY
A three shelf Jugendstil bookcase / etagere / bakers rack, two tone in stained and polished beechwood with decorative openwork side panels extendin...
Category

Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Beech

Art Nouveau Bookcase 1905 Wiener Werkstätte Period
Located in Rome, IT
Austro-Hungarian Wiener Werkstätte period bookcase , made around 1905, attributed to Koós Károly (Hungarian architect and designer), decorated with hand carved elements, such as bird...
Category

Early 1900s Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Wood

Antique French Art Nouveau Cabinet by Henri Sauvage 1900 Oak Display Cabinet
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Exquisite French Art Nouveau Cabinet / Display cabinet by famous French architect / designer Henri Sauvage 1900. A very large impressive ca...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Liberty's London Art Nouveau Handles Antique Revolving Book Case Table Drawers
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this exhibition quality Liberty's London style English Mahogany, circa 1880 revolving bookcase table with serpentine top and very rare small drawer section A good looking and well made piece, this is the first one I have seen with the small drawer section inside, it also has Liberty's London Art Nouveau handles...
Category

1880s English Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Hardwood

Important Louis Majorelle Art Nouveau Desk and Chair, Bookcase & Filing Cabinet
Located in Lisse, NL
Unique museum quality, 4-piece Parisian Art Nouveau office furniture set. As far as we know, this is the most complete, Louis Majorelle office furniture set that has been offered in the world in the past 50 years. Most collectors and enthousiasts will know how rare a set like this is, but what makes it even more astonishing is its condition. Apart from the leather on the back of the original desk chair, this set could hardly be in better condition and it would certainly grace any museum for applied arts. The only known office set that comes close to this original and complete set is in the collection of the MAAS museum in Sydney, Australia. So if you are looking for an original, great condition and very rare, antique office interior by one of the world's best Art Nouveau designers then this is your chance. We are convinced it will be the only one you'll ever get. Also, because the Majorelle filing cabinet in this set is the first filing cabinet by Louis Majorelle that we have ever seen. For this amazing set of four we have created three listings so that we are able to show you enough pictures of the many hand carved and hand-crafted wooden, bronze, glass and design details per item. Mind you, this marvelous and highly practical Art Nouveau 'desk' or 'bureau plat' (with original chair) is the second of the three listings that, together, show and describe this unique Louis Majorelle office set of amazing quality and beauty. Image 9 of this listing shows the complete set as shot in one of our facilities. Art Nouveau pieces of furniture by Louis Majorelle are like large sculptures and that can certainly be said of this striking desk and chair. A much more experienced antique seller...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Art Nouveau Cherry Showcase, 1910
Located in Montelabbate, PU
The display case takes volume at the base with the whiplash foot, going upwards to die accompanying the body of the cabinet, while at the bottom it opens up and joins the center, giv...
Category

1910s Italian Vintage Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Cherry

Very Rare Art Nouveau Oak & Sample Wood Inlaid Revolving Bookcase Side End Table
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this stunning, exceptionally rare Art Nouveau, sample wood inlaid Victorian revolving book table A very good looking well made and decorative p...
Category

Early 20th Century English Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Oak

Florentine Art Nouveau Wardrobe in Solid Cherry Wood by Dini & Puccini, Cascina
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Antique Florentine Art Nouveau wardrobe or bookcase in solid cherry wood, hand-carved, from the end of the 19th century, wax polished. All massive beautiful Classic Art Nouveau wardrobe or bookcase by Dini...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Cherry

China Closet, Bar Secesja .
Located in Kraków, Małopolska
Introducing the unique custom-made shop window, the 1900 Art Nouveau bar It has been cleaned to the bare veneer, disinfected and hand finished with a high gloss shellac varnish. ...
Category

Early 1900s Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Oak

French Art Nouveau Fruitwood Wooden Showcase Vitrine with Four Drawers
Located in Miami, FL
French fruitwood wooden showcase vitrine with four-drawer Measures: Height to the drawers 33.46in.
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Glass, Fruitwood

China Closet .
Located in Kraków, Małopolska
China closet from 1900. Every piece of furniture that leaves our workshop from the beginning to the end is subjected to manual renovation, so as to res...
Category

20th Century Polish Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Oak

Late 19th Century Bookcase Étagère by Fratelli Mora Milano in Walnut Wax-Polish
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Art Nouveau bookcase étagère by Fratelli Mora Milano in walnut restored and polished to wax, 1880-1900s Measures in cm: H 128 x W 100 x D 43/33.
Category

1890s Italian Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

Continental Art Nouveau Bookcase
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bookcase with adjustable shelves and two drawers with hand-cut dove-tails in all four corners.
Category

Early 20th Century Czech Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Pine, Birch

Small Art Nouveau Bookcase (Vienna, circa 1890)
Located in Wien, AT
Objekt: Kleinschrank Entwurf: vermutlich Wien, um 1890 Modell-Nummer: - Ausführung: unbekannte Kunstmöbeltischlerei, um 1890 Maße in cm (H x B x T): 140 x 90 x 47,5 Material: Kirschh...
Category

1890s Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Brass

French Art Nouveau Period Pitch Pine Bookcase or Vitrine with Inlay, circa 1900
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This French Art Nouveau period bookcase or vitrine from the turn of the twentieth century is constructed of solid pitch pine and features a symmetrical inlaid floral motif on the pediment and lower door panel. Fluted columns flank its single door. The door opens to allow access to an interior fitted with three adjustable interior shelves. The cabinet measures 34 inches wide by 15 inches deep...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Glass, Pine

Dutch Oak Art Nouveau Library Bookcase by H. Pander & Zonen Den Haag, 1900s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Stunning and rare Art Nouveau library bookcase. Design by H. Pander & Zonen Den Haag. Striking Dutch design from the 1900s. Solid oak with origi...
Category

Early 1900s Dutch Antique Art Nouveau Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Art Nouveau bookcases for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Art Nouveau bookcases 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 bookcases created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include case pieces and storage cabinets, tables and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, oak and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Art Nouveau bookcases made in a specific country, there are Europe, Austria, and United Kingdom pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original bookcases, popular names associated with this style include Jiri Krejcirik, Louis Majorelle, Dini & Puccini, and Fratelli Mora. 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 bookcases differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,375 and tops out at $144,761 while the average work can sell for $4,114.

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