Organiser Bureau
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Oak, Plywood
Vintage 1980s Italian Table Lamps
Steel
Antique Early 1900s Japanese Meiji Ceramics
Ceramic, Earthenware, Pottery
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Lacquer
Rope, Lacquer
Antique 1890s Japanese Meiji Metalwork
Silver, Enamel, Iron
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Ceramics
Ceramic, Earthenware, Pottery
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Metalwork
Silver
Antique 1890s Japanese Meiji Ceramics
Ceramic, Earthenware
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Vases
Ceramic, Pottery, Earthenware
Early 20th Century Japanese Meiji Metalwork
Metal, Enamel, Metallic Thread
Antique Early 1900s Japanese Meiji Metalwork
Metal, Enamel, Metallic Thread
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Sculptures and Carvings
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Ceramics
Ceramic, Earthenware, Pottery
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Ceramics
Enamel
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Vases
Ceramic, Earthenware
Antique Early 1900s Japanese Meiji Ceramics
Ceramic, Earthenware, Pottery
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Animal Sculptures
Bronze
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Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1970s Italian Minimalist Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
Brass, Steel
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Wall Mirrors
Metal
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Vases
Murano Glass
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Wood, Elm
Antique Late 18th Century Japanese Japonisme Lacquer
Wood, Lacquer
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Floor Lamps
Chrome, Metal
Antique 16th Century Japanese Edo Lacquer
Lacquer, Abalone
Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
2010s British Beds and Bed Frames
Mahogany
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Cabinets
Plastic
Vintage 1970s Lounge Chairs
Acrylic
2010s German Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Metal
Early 20th Century Czech Art Deco Cabinets
Wood, Mahogany, Lacquer, Maple
2010s French Art Deco Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Enamel
Recent Sales
Antique Early 1900s Japanese Meiji Metalwork
Silver, Enamel
Antique Early 1900s Japanese Meiji Ceramics
Enamel
Organiser Bureau For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Organiser Bureau?
A Close Look at meiji Furniture
From 1868 to 1912, Emperor Mutsuhito oversaw an era of transformation in Japan. Formerly a country of feudalism and isolation, Japan entered an age of modernization influenced by newly established trade and exchange with the West. The Meiji period, or period of “enlightened rule,” also saw the global impact of the East Asian country’s culture. Japanese Meiji furniture was exhibited at expositions from Paris to San Francisco and created for export.
Prior to the Meiji era, furniture was mostly made by commission for the ruling class; now there were new domestic and international markets. European styles like Japonisme appropriated Japanese design while craftsmen in places like Wales and England employed japanning, a varnishing technique that approximated the appearance of lacquer for the surfaces of furnishings.
Meiji furniture made for Japanese homes and buildings constructed in Western styles resulted in taller tables, chairs, cabinets with large drawers and other features. The government invested in areas such as transportation and communication, and because people could freely choose occupations after the restrictions of feudalism, industries of various types were energized by expressive new ideas during those years. Art schools were formed and, for the first time, design was an area of study in the country, leading to the evolution of professional design as a career by the 1890s.
The work of Japanese designers was transmitted widely through lavishly illustrated pattern books that included designs for screens and lacquerware for the home. While screens today may be of use as decorative accents or partitions to ensure privacy in one’s space, Japanese screens were adorned with paintings and were featured in performing arts such as concerts, tea ceremonies and more. The color illustrations that characterize Meiji woodblock prints, a genre of Japanese art that grew out of 17th-century developments in printing and book publishing, depicted the sweeping changes that the era brought to East Asia.
Although it was a time of societal and cultural shifts, a bolstered interest in art and design elevated Japanese craft traditions. From colorful porcelain table lamps with silk shades and hardwood tables decorated with dark lacquer to cabinets featuring iron hardware and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, Meiji furniture showcased Japan’s artistic heritage to the world.
Find a collection of antique Japanese Meiji period case pieces and storage cabinets, decorative objects, wall decorations and more furniture on 1stDibs.