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.
Art Nouveau Pedestal Plant Stand, Hand-Carved Beech & Marble, 1900s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Stunning and elegant Art Nouveau pedestal or plant stand. Striking French design from the 1900s. Original hand-carved patinated beech frame with original white marble top. The marble...
Marble
$1,080Sale Price|20% Off
Oak Art Nouveau Pedestal Table or Plant Stand, 1900s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Magnificent and rare Art Nouveau pedestal table or plant stand. Striking Dutch design from the 1900s. Solid oak with original hand-carved elements. This wonderful Art Nouveau pedesta...
Oak
Modern Cast Bronze Console Table from Costantini, Lychorinda
By Costantini
Located in New York, NY
Lychorinda Modern Cast Bronze Console Table from Costantini Measurements are 48" W x 20" D x 31.5" H The Lychorinda Console Table balances modern...
Bronze
Art Nouveau Oak Plant Stand Pedestal, Intricate Woodwork, 1920s
Located in Zevenaar, NL
A beautiful wooden plant stand or wooden pedestal. It features a tall, slender frame with four legs that taper downward, meeting at a small lower shelf for added support. The top sur...
Oak
Art Nouveau pedestal by Johannes Jensen, Severin & Andreas Jensen Denmark C.1903
Located in Valby, 84
Tall square form pedestal in mahogany with lemon wood intarsia, the moulded top above a frieze inlaid with a continuous wreath of clover, the front face decorated with a central comp...
Mahogany, Satinwood
French Art Nouveau Wooden Pedestal by Emile Gallé
By Émile Gallé
Located in New York, NY
A French Art Nouveau two-tiered square pedestal with carved and marquetry decoration by Emile Gallé. The pedestal has two marquetry shelves depicting leaves. Its four sinuous legs ar...
Wood
Art Nouveau Pedestal in wood and brass, Belgium, ca. 1910
Located in Meulebeke, BE
Belgium / 1910 / Piedestal / wood and brass / Art Nouveau An elegant Belgian pedestal table dating to circa 1910, crafted in wood and brass with refined Art Nouveau detailing. Attri...
Brass
Art Nouveau Pedestal by E.Kopriwa Co. Architectural Modelers and wood carvers.
Located in Denton, TX
Solid Mahogany carved Art Nouveau Plant stand by E. Kopriwa co. Architectural Modelers and wood carvers of Chicago Illinois. Sculpted woman with hands above her head holding the plat...
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Plant or Display Stand in Hard Wood and Brass
Located in Helsinki, FI
Early 20th century Jugend plant or display stand, likely Finnish or Northern European, executed in warm stained hardwood with refined brass feet. This elegant pedestal reflects the ...
Brass
$1,009
Art Nouveau Plant Stand
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Art nouveau plant stand, professionally stained and repolished with french polish.
Wood
Red Murano Iron Grape Vines Pedestal by Umberto Belloto
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bold and unique antique pedestal table with ruby red Murano glass plate and ornamental base in hand wrought iron with grape vines motif / Made in Italy by Umberto Belloto, circa 1930...
Wrought Iron
Art Nouveau Bentwood Side Table No. 960 by J&J Kohn - 1920s
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Measures : Top :42,5x42,5cm - Base 46x46cm - H:76cm Art Nouveau - Decoration - Signed Thonet Remarkable early 20th century Art Nouveau bentwood side table made by the famous Austri...
Bentwood
20th Century Art Nouveau Bentwood Pedestal by THONET - Mod. 9531, AT ca. 1906
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Outstanding, rare Art Nouveau bentwood pedestal made by the worldfamous company of Thonet Vienna around 1906. This fantastic designed pedestal or flower stand with the Mod.No. 9531 p...
Beech, Bentwood
Antique Blue Green Square Folding Table from France
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This 19th-century French tilt-top pedestal table features a square top that can be folded upright, making it practical and easy to store in limited spaces. The center leg and tripod ...
Wood
Louis Majorelle Three-tiered Pedestal
Located in New York, NY
This French Art Nouveau three-tiered walnut pedestal by Louis Majorelle, features a rotating tray on the top. Striated grooves adorn the upper portion of the legs. The gently curving...
Fruitwood
20th Century Art Nouveau Pedestal/ Plant Stand by THONET, Bentwood, AT ca. 1905
By Thonet
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Rare, unusual Art Nouveau pedestal or plant stand by the famous company of Thonet in Vienna. Artfully designed in the early 20th century around 1906, this pedestal provides two round...
Bentwood
Art Nouveau Bentwood Pedestal Mahogany Look, Austria, circa 1900
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Lovely Art Nouveau Bentwood Pedestal from the period in Austria around 1900. Beautifully made of bentwood, this unique pedestal impresses with three slim columns on an octagon base. ...
Bentwood
Antique Wooden Sellette Plant Stand, Art Nouveau Vintage Design
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Antique wooden Sellette - Art Nouveau style Vintage Wooden Plant Stand - Flower table Measures : 46x46cm Top:41x41 H:99cm Antique wooden side table or pedestal table in Art Nouveau...
Wood
$15,872Sale Price|20% Off
Original Art Nouveau Pedestal by Emile Galle 1890 French Antique Inlaid Table
By Émile Gallé
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Breathtaking & Most rare! This French Art Nouveau Pedestal by famous designer Emile Galle with early signature circa 1890. Exquisite ...
Wood, Fruitwood, Rosewood
Pair of Art Nouveau Plant stands / Pedestals by Louis Majorelle 1907 France #2
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Exquisite pair of stylized Art Nouveau plant stands / pedestals by Louis Majorelle designed in 1907 with carved ''Vigne Vierge'' decorations. ...
Wood, Mahogany
Art Nouveau Pedestal, Plant Stand, Italy, circa 1910
Located in Köln, NW
Art Nouveau base, pedestal, probably Italy around 1910 with inlays and black painting. Three sqare columns on shapely base. The column can be used as a classic flower pedestal, is a...
Wood, Fruitwood
Art Nouveau Sellette, Hankar era circa 1900, Belgium.
By Paul Hankar
Located in Brussels, BE
Art Nouveau sellette, circa 1900, Belgium. Double top, carved and polished wood. Dimensions: 116 cm H, 38 cm D, 38 cm W. Original condition. All...
Wood
$1,056
Jugendstil Plant Stand
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Jugendstil plant stand professionaly stained and repolished with french polish.
Brass
Art Nouveau Style Carved Oak Podium Stand Music Stand MINT!
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Art Nouveau Style Carved Oak Podium Stand Music Stand MINT!.
Oak, Walnut
Antique Art Nouveau Hand-Carved Walnut Pedestal by Bonciani, Cascina, Tuscany
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Early 20th century Italy Art Nouveau hand-carved ebonized walnut pedestal by Bonciani - Cascina - Tuscany Polished with wax Measures cm: H 100 x W 40 x D 40 (H internal shelves 3...
Walnut
French Art Nouveau Lacquered Pedestal Table with Floral Carving
Located in Queens, NY
French Art Nouveau style red lacquered Japanese style 2 shelf pedestal with floral carving and square top.
Lacquer
French Art Nouveau Ebonized Pedestal
Located in Queens, NY
French Art Nouveau ebonized pedestal with floral design and square fretwork top.
Vienna secession plant stand
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Vienna secession plant stand. Professionally stained and repolished with french polish.
Brass
Tony Selmersheim French Art Nouveau Two-Tier Clover Pedestal Table
Located in Queens, NY
French Art Nouveau two-tier pedestal table with a lower shelf in a clover shape supporting a circular upper tier, connected by carved supports and resting on a carved 4 leg pedestal ...
Wood
Art Nouveau Bentwood Side Table No. 960 by J&J Kohn - 1920s
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Measures : Top :42,5x42,5cm - Base 46x46cm - H:76cm Artistic collaborations: At the beginning of the 20th century, Kohn collaborated with artists from the Wiener Werkstätte (such a...
Bentwood
French Art Nouveau Wooden Pedestal by Emile Gallé
Located in New York, NY
A French Art Nouveau selette by Émile Gallé. Gallé made very few selettes of this quality and design during his career, and even fewer of those with curved lower pieces that reunite ...
Wood
Art Nouveau Green Slag Glass and Metal Filigree Illuminated Pedestal
Located in Queens, NY
American Art Nouveau patinated metal & filigree overlaid green slag glass illuminated pedestal. (probably Riviere Studios (Early 20th Century).
Metal
Antique Bronze Pedestal , Rams Heads , Black Marble top
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine detailed Casting of Rams Heads and further details around the top part . All together on three Leg base with splayed feet .Has a nice golden patina finish . The marble to...
Bronze
Early 20th Century Iron and Brass Plant Stand with Round Slate Top
Located in San Francisco, CA
Antique iron and brass Art Nouveau-style plant/fern stand with iron legs and frame, molded brass feet, and hand-hammered large brass rings The diameter below is the top. The total d...
Slate, Brass, Iron
Art Nouveau French Chestnut Column Pedestal, 20th Century
Located in Lisbon, PT
Art Nouveau column pedestal, handcrafted from rich chestnut. Its sculptural silhouette and graceful lines make it the perfect accent for showcasing art, florals, or treasured objects.
Chestnut
$1,061Sale Price|52% Off
Rare Thonet Nr. 21 plant stand by Josef Hoffmann
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Josef Hoffmann
Located in PRAHA 5, CZ
Rare modernist flower / plant stand designed by famous Viennese architect Josef Hoffmann. Manufactured by Thonet. Featured in 1906 catalogue. White lacquered bent beech. In very good...
Beech
Wrought iron column stand with art nouveau foliage decoration
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
French Art Nouveau style stand from the 1930s/1940s. Round top in speckled red marble, wrought iron base with a central decoration reminiscent of rose branches and lion's paw feet. H...
Stone, Iron
$2,900Sale Price|35% Off
Art Nouveau Oak Tall Pedestal Completely Restored
Located in Schöfflisdorf, CH
Art Nouveau oak tall pedestal completely restored.
Oak
Art Nouveau Oak Harness, Belgium
Located in Brussels, BE
Art Nouveau oak harness, Belgium.
Oak
Antique French Side Table with Blue Painting
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This 19th-century French pedestal table is finished in a soft blue-gray paint finish, which has aged to a more subdued appearance. The tabletop with its wavy edges, the elegantly tu...
Wood
Art Nouveau Pedestal Table By Jacob And Josef Kohn
Located in Brussels, BE
Art Nouveau Pedestal Table By Jacob And Josef Kohn Jacob & Josef Kohn, also known as J. & J. Kohn, was an Austrian furniture maker and interior designer in Vienna. Jacob Kohn (1791...
Wood
La Société Gauthier-Poinsignon, Art Nouveau Sculpture Stand, France, C. 1900
By Paul Poinsignon, Camille Gauthier
Located in New York, NY
This Art Nouveau tripodal pedestal features intricate relief carvings near the top, as well as a pleasant juxtaposition between the square surface and round lower shelves.
Wood
20th Century Art Nouveau Pedestal or Column, ebonized /handcarved, AT ca. 1900
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Fantastic looking, ebonized Art Nouveau pedestal/ column from the early period in Austria around 1900. A beautiful straight shaped pedestal, hand carved out of solid beech wood with ...
Beech
Aesthetic Movement Stand - France circa 1900s
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Delicate-looking plant stand/pedestal table with very elegant lines. Cabriole legs; painted frieze around the top.
Six legged jugendstil plant stand
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Six legged jugendstil plant stand in excellent original condition.
Metal, Brass
20th Century Art Nouveau Beechwood Pedestal/ Flower Tub, Mahogany, ca. 1905
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Unusual early 20th Century Art Nouveau flower tub out of Austria from the period around 1905. Made of beechwood and trimmed to a dark mahogany style, this amazing looking pedestal/ f...
Brass
Venice 1910s Art Nouveau Side Table Wiener Werkstätte style, walnut wax-polished
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Original very nice Venetian 1910s Art Nouveau side table coffee table or nightstand in walnut wax-polished The beauty and elegance of this small table is given by the shape of the f...
Walnut
Early 20th Century Venetian Hand-Carved Walnut Gueridon Sculpture Pedestal
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Early 1900, Art Nouveau period, Venetian Gueridon column display pedestal attributed to the Vincenzo Cadorin school , in hand-carved walnut. Measures cm: Height 108, diameter 30. Cadorin Vincenzo (1854-1925) Venetian sculptor born in 1854, he was trained in the studio of Benvenuti, he then studied at the Venetian Academy. In 1883 he exposed his first works in Rome and in the next year he won the Gold Medal in the exposure in Turin. (Luisa GIORDANO, Cadorin, Vincenzo, in Biographic Dictionary of the Italians, XVI, Rome 1973, p. 97). His most known work is the gilt carved wooden desk given to the Pope Pio X for his sacerdotal jubilee in 1908; the desk is now in the Basilica della Salute in Venice. He died in 1925. Fortuny palace: The Cadorin Bottega: A dynasty of Venetian artists The last published photo is the Palazzo Fortuny of Venice where IDA Cadorin, known professionally as IDA Barbarigo...
Walnut
Bentwood Pedestal - flower stand attributed to Jacob & Josef Kohn, 1890s
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Measures : Base : 36x36 H:130cm Outer Ø : 31cm Inner Ø : 25cm An exceptional pedestal made in Austria before 1910. Standing at an impressive 130 cm tall, this piece perfectly il...
Bentwood
$2,470Sale Price / set|35% Off
Near Pair of French Art Nouveau Guéridon Cast Iron Tables with Stone Tops
Located in Highwood, IL
Guéridon is defined as a small table supported by one or more columns and often with a circular top in stone. The gueridon or pedestal table originated in France towards the mid-17th...
Marble, Iron
44" Hand Painted and Carved with Gilt Bronze Ormolu Pedestal
Located in Pasadena, TX
This pedestal was made around the turn of the 20th century. It has a pair of hand painted copper medallion plates on each side surrounded by gilt ormolu. The pedestal has 2 bronze or...
Wood
Pair of French Art Nouveau Walnut Pedestals with Carved Floral Feet
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of French Art Nouveau walnut low pedestals with carved floral feet.
Walnut
Art Nouveau Forged Flower Stand
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Art Nouveau forged flower table in very good original condition. Hand forged metal leafs and flowers.
Metal
Pair of cast iron pedestals, art nouveau period. France, early 20th century.
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Pair of cast iron pedestals, Art Nouveau period. France, early 20th century.
Iron