Aesthetic Movement Vanities
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 Australian Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Brass
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Mirror, Oak
1990s Philippine Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Wicker, Wood, Bamboo
Late 19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Mirror, Mahogany
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Softwood, Mahogany
Early 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Mirror
Early 20th Century French Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Wood
1970s Vintage Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Bamboo, Rattan, Reed, Mirror, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary English Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Oak
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Rattan
Mid-19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Walnut
1850s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Walnut
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Ash
Mid-20th Century Dutch Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Palisander
Mid-20th Century British Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Wood
1920s European Vintage Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Brass
Mid-19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Breccia Marble
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Brass
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Walnut
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Brass
1890s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Vanities
Birdseye Maple