$2,445 / set
H 3.94 in Dm 1.97 in
Pair 19th Century Japanese Miniature Kutani Vases Signed Meiji Period, C.1880
Located in London, GB
A pair of 19th century Japanese miniature Kutani vases. Meiji period C.1880. Fine quality
Earthenware
Miniature Kutani porcelain vases, Japan Meiji era
Located in Saverne, Grand Est
A real pair of miniature Kutani porcelain vases decorated with cranes, fans and figures on a red
Porcelain
Pair of Large Canton Style Famille Rose Chinese Porcelain Vases
Located in London, GB
Pair of large Canton style famille rose Chinese porcelain vases. Qing Dynasty, late 19th century Measures: height 65cm, diameter 25cm Crafted from porcelain and executed in the ...
Porcelain
Art Deco Japanese Porcelain Vases Meiji Period, Pair
Located in New York, NY
A very beautiful pair of polychromed Kutani porcelain Japanese vases, circa early 20th century, Meiji period, Japan. Vases are hand painted and designed with two different sides; one...
Porcelain
Pair of Japanese Satsuma 'Moriage' Porcelain Gilt Vases
By Satsuma
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
This handsome pair of 20th century glazed and gilded Japanese Satsuma vases, with their vivid, jewel-like colours and elegant baluster-shaped forms, feature the traditional Japanese ...
Porcelain
Antique Meiji Period Kutani Japanese Porcelain Temple Jar
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Antique Meiji period Japanese porcelain temple jar with intricate hand painted decoration and gilt. The jar in Classic Kutani colors with floral and phoenix birds all over the top an...
Porcelain
$187,500
H 102 in W 84.5 in D 22.5 in
Exceptional 19th Century English Chinoiserie Pagoda Display Cabinet
Located in Houston, TX
Large-scale 19th century English display cabinet executed in the Chinoiserie tradition. Constructed in carved mahogany and conceived as a tripartite architectural façade, each glazed...
Glass, Mahogany
Imari Porcelain Ceramic Fluted Vase Edo Period Japan
By Imari Porcelain
Located in Miami, FL
Lovely Japanese Edo Period (1603-1867) Imari Porcelain Vase in a European form. Created with a vertical scalloped surface, hand painted and hand thrown . Decorated with a medallion i...
Ceramic, Porcelain, Pottery
Large Japanese Satsuma Covered Vase, Showa Period, Mid 20th Century, Japan
Located in Austin, TX
A very large and exuberantly decorated Japanese Satsuma millefleur covered vase, marked Satsuma, Showa period, mid 20th century, Japan. The large vase of attractive baluster form,...
Stoneware
$937Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 13 in Dm 5.91 in
Meiji Period, Japanese Vases, Gourd, Dai Nippon Kutani Tsukuru c.1890 Japan
By Dai Nippon 1
Located in Glasgow, GB
A matching pair of Meiji-period Japanese gourd-shaped vases, handcrafted in Kutani toward the end of the 19th century. These vases feature exceptional decoration, with intricate des...
Gold, Enamel
Large 19th Century Hand Painted Imari Porcelain Vase Meiji Period
Located in Lambertville, NJ
A remarkable hand painted Japanese porcelain Imari vase. Classic iron red and cobalt blue on a white porcelain background. Elegant Japanese figures painted all around the center port...
Porcelain
Pair of Large Canton Style Chinese Porcelain Vases
Located in London, GB
Pair of large Canton style Chinese porcelain vases Chinese, early 20th century Measures: Height 123cm, diameter 42cm These large and impressive Chinese famille jaune porcelain v...
Porcelain
Monumental Japanese Kutani Porcelain Vase, Meiji/Taisho Period, Signed
Located in New York, NY
A Monumental Japanese Kutani porcelain vase, Meiji/Taisho Period, Signed Akiyama sei. The main body is all hand-painted with wonderful decorations which include Japanese figures of m...
Porcelain
Large Japanese Imari lidded vase, 19th Century
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A large and impressive 19th Century Japanese Imari lidded vase. Having a wonderful mythical Foo Dog finial to the lid, classical orange ground with scrolling foliate and floral decor...
Porcelain
Large Pair Meiji Period Japanese Kutani Vases
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A very decorative and impressive Meiji period (1868-1912) Japanese Kutani flare necked twin handle vases. Each with orange ground feather decoration, inset painted panels with blosso...
Porcelain
Large Pair 19th Century Japanese Imari Vases
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A very good quality pair of large late 19th Century Japanese Imari vases, each with rippled flared necks, classical hand painted motif decoration to the boarders, and inset panels de...
Porcelain
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.