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Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

JAPONISME STYLE

In the late 19th and early 20th century, France developed an enduring passion for Japanese aesthetics and craftsmanship. Not only did this interpretation of Japanese culture — which became known as Japonisme — infuse fresh energy into French art and design, but it also radically transformed how Europeans, and subsequently the world, would come to understand visual culture. 

Until 1853, Japan had been closely guarded against foreign visitors for over two centuries. However, American Commodore Matthew C. Perry sailed into Japan that year and initiated the first of its treaties with the United States and Europe, thereby opening its borders and giving the West its first-ever look at Japanese design. 

For the next few decades, taken with Japonisme, sophisticated collectors in Paris, New York and elsewhere gorged themselves on lacquered screens, celadon ceramics and netsuke ornaments, along with artworks depicting various aspects of Japanese life. The East Asian country’s influence on Europe, particularly France, contributed to one of the most creatively prosperous periods in history, leaving an imprint on the Impressionist, Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements, and inspiring artists like Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Vincent van Gogh as well as luxury houses such as Louis Vuitton and Hermès. Japonisme emerged at the time when the ornate Renaissance Revival style was the most prominent mode of decorating in Europe, and Japanese aesthetics seemed strikingly modern and elegant in comparison. 

In addition to everyday practical objects from Japan, such as vases, tableware and decorative boxes, Japanese art, especially Japanese woodblock prints by masters of the ukiyo-e school, caught the eye of many artists — particularly those in the Art Nouveau poster community in 1880s Paris. The luscious organic colors associated with traditional Japanese design, motifs like cherry blossoms and carp and the vivid patterns found in woodblock prints, silks and more were adopted and appropriated by painters as well as ceramicists and those working in other fields of the decorative arts. Today, demand for Japanese lacquerware — furniture, trays, writing boxes, screens, incense burners — from the Edo period (1615–1868) and the late 19th century continues to be very strong among collectors.

Find a collection of antique Japonisme furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.

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Style: Japonisme
2 Antique Tsukioka Kogyo Taema Arashiyama Nogaku Hyakuban Woodblock Prints 29"
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique late 19th to early 20th century Japanese woodblock prints - "Taema" and "Arashiyama" from the series "One Hundred Noh Dramas (Nogaku hyakuban)" by Tsukioka Kôgyo, published b...
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Paper

Kogo box in maki-è lacquer depicting a naturalistic scene
Located in Milano, IT
Kogo box in maki-è lacquer, with a domed lid depicting a naturalistic scene. The gold decoration depicts the Japanese pine, known as Matsu, and a typical house with a thatched roof a...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Lacquer

Satsuma ceramic plate adorned with polychrome and gold decorations
Located in Milano, IT
Satsuma ceramic plate adorned with polychrome and gold decorations within numerous reserves of unique shape and size, depicting scenes of Japanese daily life. The plate is signed un...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

A Satsuma vase decorated with a garden of chrysanthemums
Located in Milano, IT
Satsuma vase, with slender neck and terminal part adorned in pure gold decorated with a garden of chrysanthemums, made with enamel and gold in relief. Different varieties of chrysan...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

A Japanese pair of cloisonné enamel vases decorated with silver wire
Located in Milano, IT
Delightful pair of silver cloisonné vases covered with polychrome enamels on a dark blue background. Decorations with polychrome floral motifs with peonies and a pair of Japanese th...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Enamel

19th Century Imari Porcelain Lidded Bowl Jewelry Box
Located in Pearland, TX
A fine and rare lidded and hinged Imari bowl with ormolu fittings, set atop three ornamented feet. Perfect for jewelry, trinkets, or sweets.
Category

Mid-19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

A large bronze vase depicting an egret
Located in Milano, IT
Large bronze vase depicting an egret, in relief, on a perch in the center of a watercourse, surrounded by four swimming fish. The figure of the egret emerges from the vase with remar...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

ANTIQUE SOLiD BRONZE JAPANESE KOI CARP STATUE OF A WONDERFULLY ELEGANT FISH
Located in GB
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning circa 1920 solid bronze Japanese Koi Carp statue A wonderfully original find, this...
Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

STUNNING SiGNED ANTIQUE CIRCA 1870 JAPANESE VASE DEPICTING A BIRD ON A BRANCH
Located in GB
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning circa 1870 signed to the base solid bronze Japanese bronze vase depicting a large b...
Category

1870s Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

A boxwood netsuke depicting a snake wrapping around a pumpkin
Located in Milano, IT
Boxwood netsuke depicting a snake wrapping around a pumpkin. The snake is a symbol often associated with rebirth, transformation while the pumpkin is a symbol of fertility, abundanc...
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Boxwood

Antique Japanese Ink Hanging Scroll Nakabayashi Chikuto Edo Period
Located in Atlanta, GA
An ink painting on paper (Sumi-e) mounted with brocade borders as a hanging scroll. Entitled "Plum Blossom Under a Misty Moon", the artist was Japanese painter Nakabayashi Chikuto (1...
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Brocade, Wood, Paper

A Japanese maki-è lacquer inro
Located in Milano, IT
Japanese inro with two compartments, in maki-è lacquer with nashiji decorations and circular reserves depicting flowers and leaves. Coral colored ojime and lacquer manju netsuke. Si...
Category

Mid-19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Lacquer

1980's Japanese, Imari Style, Porcelain Serving Dish
Located in Glasgow, GB
A vintage Japanese porcelain serving dish. The serving dish, handcrafted in Japan in the 1980s, features an elaborate Japanese scene and ornamentation based on a traditional Imari d...
Category

1980s Japanese Vintage Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

A Satsuma bowl decorated with a striking landscape
Located in Milano, IT
Satsuma bowl decorated with a striking landscape that evokes the beauty and serenity of the Japanese hills, with a gently flowing river surrounded by trees and mountains. The bowl i...
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Antique 19th Century Japanese Imari Scalloped Plate
Located in Pearland, TX
Wonderful 19th century antique Imari plate with scalloped edge. Featuring vibrant oranges, blues, and green.
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

A Boxwood Netsuke Depicting A Toad Resting On A Sandal
Located in Milano, IT
Boxwood netsuke depicting a toad resting on an upside-down sandal (waraji), with horned eyes. Signed Masanao on a rectangular gusset in the center of the sandal. Origin: Japan Per...
Category

Early 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Boxwood

A boxwood netsuke depicting a monkey trying to catch a turtle
Located in Milano, IT
A boxwood netsuke depicting a monkey trying to catch a turtle, which retracts its head and legs inside the carapace. Origin: Japan Period: Edo 19th century. Dimensions: 3.4 x 3 x ...
Category

Early 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Boxwood

19th century Edo period's Hanging scroll Samurai players and child dancer
Located in Chiba, JP
Description - Hanging scroll with quite a surreal scene of the music and dance performance with two seated samurais and a child actor on a go-game-board who plays a role of dancing s...
Category

Mid-19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Paper

Antique 19th Century Japanese Imari Scalloped Plate
Located in Pearland, TX
Wonderful 19th century antique Imari plate with scalloped edge. Featuring vibrant oranges, blues, and teal.
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Antique 19th Century Japanese Imari Scalloped Plate
Located in Pearland, TX
Wonderful 19th century antique Imari plate with scalloped edge. Featuring vibrant oranges, blues, and green. The center of the plate depicts a hand-painted vase with a spray of flowe...
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Gojunoto, Japanese Metal Pagoda
Located in Vienna, AT
Gojunoto, Japanese Metal Pagoda - This is a wonderfully detailed smaller version of a Pagoda building made from cast iron. Pagoda buildings, Tō (塔) in Japanese, originated in ancient...
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Copper, Iron

Japanese Decorative Wall Plate in Porcelain and Brass - Circa 1970's by ACF
Located in Glasgow, GB
Vintage Decorative Wall Plate A Japanese vintage porcelain wall plate, handcrafted in the 1970s, features an eye-catching pattern of br...
Category

1970s Japanese Vintage Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Brass

Satsuma ceramic lobed bowl, signed Juzan under the base
Located in Milano, IT
Satsuma ceramic lobed bowl adorned with raised enamels and fine gold details, depicting a vibrant landscape within. Characters and traditional Japanese home...
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

A boxwood netsuke depicting a snake
Located in Milano, IT
Boxwood netsuke depicting a snake coiled around itself. Signature engraved under the base. Origin: Japan Period: Meiji late 19th century. Dimensions: 4 x 3.5 x 2 cm. State of co...
Category

19th Century Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Boxwood

Japanese Iron Pagoda Garden Lantern
Located in New York, NY
Midcentury Japanese cast iron pagoda lantern with lattice fret work hinged door. Bird and bamboo iron cut outs surround pagoda. Beautiful slo...
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Iron

Janetti Father & Sons Japanese Pedestal in Engraved and Painted Bamboo, ca 1880
Located in Roma, IT
Marvelous Japanese pedestal, this delightful object was made in Japan in the late 19th-century and imported into Italy by a famous merchant, Emportio Janetti Padre e Figli. They were the first in trading Japanese art in Florence in the second half of the 19th century. This spectacular piece of rare beauty was fully hand-crafted with perfect proportions. The complex structure is made in engraved and lacquered crossed bamboo with fantastic floreal details. The two round trays are in black lacquered wood with hand-painted decorations. The fine details and the beauty make this pedestal a masterpiece. An unique decorative pedestal of outstanding quality that can be mixed in a neoclassical or mid-century project or in a Japanese style project. Dimensions (cm): Diameter - 37 Height - 112 In the 1870s collecting Japanese art products started to be popular among a wider range of collectors, not only among circles of intellectuals, artists, and designers. This cultural phenomenon also reached Italy, and when a group of Japanese diplomats (Iwakura Mission) arrived in Florence in May 1873, it reported a very positive impression of a shop that sold Japanese...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Exceptional Embroidered Japanese Ceremonial Kimono
Located in Atlanta, GA
A visually striking antique Uchikake Wedding Kimono/Robe for ceremonial occasion, circa end of Meiji to Taisho period 1910s-1930s. This bridal outer garment is of a bright red color ...
Category

20th Century Japanese Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Brocade, Silk

Large C19th Japanese Silk & Bamboo Screen or Room Divider
Located in London, GB
Large C19th Japanese silk and bamboo screen. A truly superb four-fold room divider with silk panels depicting a forest scene with birds and flowers. Each panel features a bamboo cro...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Silk, Bamboo

Vintage Hand-Painted Silk Kimono with Gold Embroidery - Japan - 20th Century
Located in Chatham, ON
Vintage fine quality silk kimono - hand sewn with gold embroidery - hand-painted silk textile - white silk crepe and off-white rayon lining - signed - original label attached to the ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Silk

Japanese Stone Object “TAMARI-ISHI” / wabi-sabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
A stone object called "TAMARI-ISHI" in Japan that collects water in a hole. This has a beautiful matte black look. A beautiful sculpture created by nature. An art object that gives y...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Stone

Japanese Stone Object medium / wabi-sabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is an old Japanese stone object. This stone object has a beautiful black and beige gradation. An art object that gives you a sense of wabi-sabi. 6kg
Category

15th Century and Earlier Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Stone

Japanese Black Stone Object with Buddha shape / wabi-sabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is an old Japanese stone object. A black glossy stone object that resembles the shape of a Buddha. A beautiful sculpture created by nature. An art object that gives you a sense ...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Stone

Japanese Meiji era chestnut netsuke
Located in PARIS, FR
Wooden netsuke featuring a group of three chestnuts. One of them reveals a tiny hole and the head of a small worm in bone inlay, offering a very naturalistic representation. Chestnu...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Boxwood

Mid-Century Chinese Ceramic Urn with Lid, Jiangxi
Located in Bochum, NRW
Mid-century early People Chinese Republic period hand enameled porcelain lidded urn vase, Jiangxi Jingdezhen Min Ci 6 Hao Cai mark under the bottom, Famille-rose Dimensions: height ...
Category

1950s Japanese Vintage Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

European Handcarved Boxwood Snuff Tobacco Flacon
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
European hand carved boxwood snuff tobacco box or flacon with silver screw cap lid. This impressive snuff box depicts a scene with people as well as a large tree. Certainly a fantast...
Category

Mid-19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Boxwood

Japanese bronze okimono toad (sculpture)
Located in PARIS, FR
Okimono bronze sculpture of a toad. The toad or the frog (kaeru) is associated with good luck and wealth. Kaeru means both “toad” or “frog” and “to return home” in Japanese. This me...
Category

Mid-19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

A Japanese boxwood okimono depicting a koi carp
Located in Milano, IT
Boxwood okimono depicting a koi carp. The eyes, in mother-of-pearl and black horn, are inlaid with precision, while the overlapping scales on the body give extraordinary realism. Th...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Boxwood

Japanese bronze okimono turtle (sculpture)
Located in PARIS, FR
Okimono sculpture of a bronze turtle, tail retractable. In Japan, the turtle (kame) is a symbol of longevity and an auspicious animal. It is believed to bring ten thousand years of h...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Antique Japanese Bird Branch Berry Watercolor Hanging Scroll Signed Painting 53"
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Japanese watercolor painting on paper showing a small green bird perched on the branch of a tree tipped with red berries. ...
Category

Early 20th Century Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Silk, Paint, Paper

Japanese large round bronze hare Meiji era
Located in PARIS, FR
Round hare in bronze with a dark brown patina, standing on two legs. In Japanese, the hare and the rabbit are referred to by a single word: usagi. The animal is one of the twelve an...
Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Japanese bronze okimono Jizai Praying Mantis (articulated sculpture)
Located in PARIS, FR
Jizai okimono sculpture of an articulated bronze praying mantis. Insects (mushi) play an important role in Japanese culture. Insect hunting is a popular pastime, especially among chi...
Category

Mid-19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Japanese bronze house on stilts incense burner
Located in PARIS, FR
Bronze incense burner depicting a house on stilts. The house is slightly stretched so that it case be seen from one side. The roof can be separated from the foundation to insert cand...
Category

Mid-19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

A Japanese bronze okimono depicting an elephant with two tigers
Located in Milano, IT
Patinated bronze okimono depicting an elephant defending itself from the attack of two tigers: one on its back and the other under its paw. Very well worked in the details of the el...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Japanese small round bronze hare Meiji era
Located in PARIS, FR
Small round hare in bronze with dark brown patina, standing on its four legs. In Japanese, the hare and the rabbit are referred to by a single word: usagi. The animal is one of the t...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Japanese golden kobako flowers Edo period 18th century
Located in PARIS, FR
Quadrangular kobako box decorated with flowers in gold and blue lacquer with aogai inlay. Lid and sides in fundame lacquer, underside and interio...
Category

18th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Gold

Japanese round shaped rabbits bronze pair Hiroharu Hiramatsu Showa era
By Hiroharu Hiramatsu
Located in PARIS, FR
Pair of bronze rabbits running, their legs forming a round shape. Made by Hiroharu Hiramatsu (1896 Hyôgo prefecture – 1971, Fukushima,平松宏春). Specialized in metal art, he is a counci...
Category

1930s Japanese Vintage Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

A Japanese wooden okimono depicting a lying horse
Located in Milano, IT
Wooden okimono depicting a lying horse, finely carved down to the smallest details. The muscles, hooves and mane are rendered with care and artistry, capturing the vitality of the ho...
Category

Mid-19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Wood

19th Century Japanese Usu Mochi Mortar Carved from a Cedar Log
Located in Oakland, CA
19th Century Japanese Usu mortar, carved from a solid cedar log and banded with woven bamboo around its circumference. These were used the make mochi from ri...
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Cedar, Bamboo

Pair Antique 19th Century Imari Porcelain Vases Mounted as Table Lamps
Located in New York, NY
Pair of antique (19th century) Japanese Imari porcelain vases with raised figurative designs later mounted as table lamps.
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

A bronze okimono depicting a study of a puppy playing with a ball
Located in Milano, IT
Bronze okimono depicting a study of a puppy playing with a ball. The puppy has a playful and curious expression as he interacts with the ball. The...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Japanese Export Carved Dragon Chair
Located in New York, NY
Eye catching highly carved sculptural dragon armchair. Japanese dragon motif carried throughout arms and chair with fantastic detailed hand carvings. Victorian era cabriole legs fini...
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Wood

A Japanese Lacquer Inro Depicting A Daikokuten With His Hammer
Located in Milano, IT
Japanese lacquer inro depicting a Daikokuten with his hammer watching children, next to a Matsu plant. Excellent quality decoration with relief details, shine and original patina. ...
Category

Mid-18th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Lacquer

A Japanese boxwood okimono portraying the moment of Daruma's awakening
Located in Milano, IT
Boxwood okimono with horn and mother of pearl, portraying the moment of Daruma's awakening. The figure, sitting and stretching, has wide eyes and an open mouth. Under the base, the ...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Boxwood

Small Japanese Articulate Crab Jizai Okimono Meiji Period Signed
By Myochin Hiroyoshi
Located in Atlanta, GA
A small copper crab with articulated legs made by Myochin Hiroyoshi in the late Meiji Period circa 1890-1900s. As an ornamental display item, this type of small sculpture with moving...
Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Copper

A cloisonné vase depicting a pheasant surrounded by blooming cherry
Located in Milano, IT
Cloisonné vase, with base and edge in silver, decorated with polychrome enamels held by a silver thread, depicting a pheasant on the banks of a watercourse surrounded by blooming che...
Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Enamel

Vintage Kimono Silk Brocade Japanese Ceremonial 1970
Located in North Hollywood, CA
A vintage Mid-Century ivory color silk brocade collectable Japanese ceremonial kimono. One of a kind. Fabulous museum quality ceremonial kimono in pure silk with intricate detailed h...
Category

20th Century Japanese Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Silk

A Japanese Satsuma ceramic lobed bowl
Located in Milano, IT
Satsuma ceramic lobed bowl with curved corners and embellished with a refined scene of daily life along a watercourse on the outside. The interior is adorne...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

A Japanese Satsuma ceramic bowl adorned with relief glazes and gold details
Located in Milano, IT
Satsuma ceramic bowl adorned with relief glazes and gold details depicting a motif of Manchurian Cranes in flight, symbols of longevity and happiness in Japanese culture. Inside, the bowl features a dense motif of a thousand butterflies...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Asian Art and Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Japonisme asian art and furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Japonisme asian art and furniture 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 asian art and furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include asian art and furniture, decorative objects, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, ceramic and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Japonisme asian art and furniture made in a specific country, there are Asia, East Asia, and Japan pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original asian art and furniture, popular names associated with this style include Makuzu Kozan, Ando Jubei, Cordélia Faure, and Dorian Étienne. 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 asian art and furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $95 and tops out at $54,000 while the average work can sell for $3,271.

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