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
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.
Majolica Plate with Butterfly and Fruits, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica plate with a purple butterfly on the centre surrounded by fruits, circa 1890.
Ceramic, Faience
French Majolica Arum Plate, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica arum plate circa 1900 unsigned. The plate have a metal border.
Ceramic
French Majolica Roses Plate Saint Amand, circa 1890
By Saint Amand
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica roses plate signed Saint Amand, circa 1890. Very rare aqua background. Large size 8.8 inches.
Majolica, Ceramic
French Majolica Plums Plate circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica Plums Plate circa 1890.
Ceramic
Majolica Asparagus Plate with Mums Keller & Guerin Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Art Nouveau asparagus plate with mums signed Keller et Guerin Saint Clement. 9 inches diameter. Every important French manufactures produced at the end of the 19th Century a...
Ceramic, Majolica
Naturalistic 'Leaf' Antique Sterling Silver Set Of Six Clip-On Plates from 1903
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in Birmingham in 1903 by Grey & Co., this unusual, Edwardian, Antique, Sterling Silver Set of six clip on plates, take the form of leaves which can be attached to your saucer or dessert plate by a hinged wishbone clip. Each plate measures 5"(12.5cm) long, by 3.25"(8.5cm) wide. The set together has a weight of 7.9 troy ounces. The clip-on plates carry a registered design number, the original design drawing...
Sterling Silver
Majolica Flowers & Butterfly Plate Wasmuel Circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica flowers and butterfly plate Wasmuel circa 1890.
Ceramic
11 Rörstrand Art Nouveau Plates, Hand-Painted, Different Flowers
Located in København, Copenhagen
11 Rörstrand Art Nouveau plates. Hand-painted, different flowers, circa 1900. 18 cm. in diameter. Perfect condition.
French Majolica Roses Plate Saint Amand, circa 1890
By Saint Amand
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica roses plate signed Saint Amand, circa 1890.
Majolica, Ceramic
French Majolica Dalhias Plate Orchies, circa 1900
By Orchies
Located in Austin, TX
Lovely French Majolica plate with purple and pink dahlias Orchies, circa 1900.
Ceramic
Large Majolica Sunflower Platter Villeroy & Boch, circa 1920
Located in Austin, TX
Large Majolica Sunflower Platter Villeroy & Boch, circa 1920 Diameter / 11 inches.
Ceramic
Small German Majolica Tulip Plate Circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Small German Majolica Tulip Plate Circa 1900. Diameter / 6.7 inches.
Ceramic
French Majolica Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
By Orchies
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica daisy plate Orchies unsigned, circa 1890.
Ceramic
French Majolica Pink Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
By Orchies
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica pink daisy plate Orchies, circa 1890.
Ceramic
German Majolica Morning Glory Plate Circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
German Majolica plate with morning glory on a blue basket weave and a brown border, circa 1900.
Ceramic, Faience
French Majolica Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
By Orchies
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica daisy plate Orchies unsigned, circa 1890.
Ceramic
Majolica Asparagus Plate with Cyclamens Keller & Guerin Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Art Nouveau asparagus plate with cyclamens signed Keller et Guerin Saint Clement. Every important French manufactures produced at the end of the 19th century asparagus and a...
Majolica, Ceramic
French Majolica Roses Plate Saint Amand, circa 1890
By Saint Amand
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica roses plate signed Saint Amand, circa 1890.
Ceramic, Majolica
French Majolica Pansy Plate circa 1880
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica Pansy Plate circa 1880.
Ceramic
French Majolica Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
By Orchies
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica daisy plate Orchies unsigned, circa 1890.
Ceramic
German Majolica Morning Glory Plate Circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
German Majolica plate with morning glory on a blue basket weave and a brown border, circa 1900.
Ceramic, Faience
German Majolica Morning Glory Plate Circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
German Majolica plate with morning glory on a blue basket weave and a brown border, circa 1900.
Ceramic, Faience
Majolica Lily Pad Plate Villeroy et Boch, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Water Lily Pad or water lilies Plate signed Villeroy et Boch, circa 1900. 7.7 inches diameter.
Ceramic
Majolica Parakeets Plate Salins, circa 1890
By Salins
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica plate two parakeets on a blue background with oranges signed Salins, circa 1890.
Ceramic, Majolica
Set of 12 Antique Meissen Porcelain Reticulated Cabinet Plates with Cherubs
Located in Philadelphia, PA
An extraordinarily fine set of Meissen Porcelain cabinet plates. Each with a gilt scalloped rim, a pierced or reticulated border (with a left-hand twist), and centers with varying...
Porcelain
Majolica Parakeets Plate Salins, circa 1890
By Salins
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica plate two parakeets on a blue background with oranges signed Salins, circa 1890.
Ceramic, Majolica
10 French Orchies Faience Majolica Asparagus and Artichoke Plates with Platter
By Orchies
Located in Birmingham, AL
A rare and exceptional 19th century set of 10 majolica glazed French faïence barbotine artichoke and asparagus plates complete with oval shaped master server or platter by Orchies, c...
Majolica, Ceramic, Earthenware, Faience
Majolica Parakeets Plate Salins, circa 1890
By Salins
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica plate two parakeets on a blue background with oranges signed Salins, circa 1890.
Ceramic, Majolica
French Majolica Flowers Plate Orchies Circa 1900
By Orchies
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica flowers plate Orchies Circa 1900.
Ceramic
Majolica Asparagus Plate with Cyclamens Keller & Guerin Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Art Nouveau asparagus plate with cyclamens signed Keller et Guerin Saint Clement. Every important French manufactures produced at the end of the 19th century asparagus and ...
Majolica
French Majolica Pansy Plate circa 1880
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica Pansy Plate circa 1880.
Ceramic
Longchamp Terre de Fer Art Nouveau French Faïence Barbotine Asparagus Plate
By Longchamp
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French Art Nouveau style asparagus plate, circa 1890-1910, marked Longchamp. Lime green and aqua glazing stand out on an off-white ground. Stylized leaves meet at the top with two...
Earthenware
Luxurious 1970s Versailles-style Italian porcelain dining set - Nuevo
By Mice di rugiano domenico e c. s.n.c.
Located in Cantù, IT
Luxurious 1970s Versailles-style Italian porcelain dining set - Nuevo
Porcelain
German Majolica Morning Glory Plate Circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
German Majolica plate with morning glory on a blue basket weave and a brown border, circa 1900.
Ceramic, Faience
Set of Four Vintage Olfaire Portugal Ceramic Charger Plates
Located in Bradenton, FL
Unique vintage set of four Olfaire Portugal ceramic charger plates. Bright colors of yellow(center) with green and purple scalloped edges. Excellent c...
Ceramic
Majolica Asparagus Plate with Cyclamens Keller & Guerin Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Art Nouveau asparagus plate with cyclamens signed Keller et Guerin Saint Clement. Every important French manufactures produced at the end of the 19th century asparagus and a...
Majolica
12 Cauldon Gilt Octagonal Service Plates, Art Nouveau Raised Gold Blue Ground
By Cauldon
Located in Great Barrington, MA
This is a very rare set of 12 Cauldon service/presentation plates showcasing Art Nouveau decoration at it's finest. Hand-painted raised paste gold over robin's egg blue creates a sof...
Gold
Edmond Lachenal French Art Nouveau Turquoise Blue Glazed Pottery Charger Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Edmond Lachenal (1855 – 1948, France) French Art Nouveau Turquoise Blue Glazed Pottery 14" Charger Plate, Signed to Rear. Circa Early 20th Century. Measurements: 1.5" H x 14"...
Ceramic
Claude Linossier, Bronze Dish, 1920s
Located in Firenze, IT
Wonderful bronze plate with copper inlays and geometric decoration, created by Claude Linossier in the 1920s. Features engraved signature.
Bronze, Copper
Pair of Art Nouveau Jugs Floral Decoration
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Pair of Art Nouveau jugs floral decoration Origin France circa 1900 natural wear illegible signature. Art nouveau, modernist art or modernism was an in...
Bronze
$720Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set of 9 Vintage Dinner Plates Rosenthal Classic Ros
By Rosenthal
Located in Mérida, YU
Vintage Set of 9 plates, never used with Rosenthal tag. Perfect condition. Very nice work amazing details in the texture. Rosenthal is a warranty of ...
Porcelain