Japanese Shibayama Cabinet, Carved and Black Lacquered, Meiji Period, 1870s

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...

Marvellous and elegant Italian showcase cabinet from 1970. The excellent quality of dark brown lacquer with glass panels embellished and solid brass is mixed with a lacquered shelf ...

Umbrella stand black, Italian. Lacquered wood and metal. Very simple and accattivante. Vintage.   

Wonderful midcentury vintage serving table or bar cart with brass frame. Cesare Lacca probably designed this extraordinary item and was produced ...

Splendid square pocket tray or ashtray made in black lacquered wood, shell and brass. This incredibly elegant object is attributed to Tommaso Barbi and was made in Italy during the 1...

Wonderful magazine rack in black lacquered beech wood with removable mid-century shelves. Cesare Lacca designed this amazing piece and was produced in Milan, Italy during the 1950s. This item is fantastic because it is both stylish and functional, as the black lacquered wood structure blends wonderfully with the brown shelves creating a striking mid-century balance and can be folded in order to easily carry it. This piece is perfect for a mid-century library or living room and will complete any project with its striking lines. Born in Naples in 1929, Italian architect-designer Cesare Lacca created modernist furniture and metalwork throughout the 1950s. Though details of his personal life and professional training remain lost to history, there are sufficient surviving primary sources that document his many elegant designs in brasswork for which he is the best know and which fetch high prices from collectors. Like many Italian designers in the 20th century, Lacca moved to Milan after World War II to launch his career. Before he was even 21 years old, his work was selected by a group of American curators for inclusion in the landmark exhibition Italy at Work: Her Renaissance in Design Today that toured 12 US museums between 1950 and 1953—the first major exhibition of Italian design outside of Italy. The exhibition showcased the best and brightest of Italian designers who had embraced modernist principles and rejuvenated traditional Italian crafts, like Carlo Mollino, Franco Albini, and Gio Ponti In the exhibition catalogue, curator Meyric R. Roger’s spotlights Lacca's expert achievements in brass, noting “the variety and quality of his creations,” which “place him high among the architect-designers leading the current [Modernist] movement." Rogers adds, "The quality of his work...provide[s] all the decorative effectiveness needed without strain or exaggeration”. Lacca designed a great many tea carts and serving trolleys in his career—which make up a large proportion of what is available on the vintage market today—as well as magazine racks and coffee tables. Lacca’s most iconic tea cart was manufactured by Italian brand Cassina and features sculpted beech, cedar, teak, or walnut with brass details, a glass tabletop, and a removable glass tray. Lacca also designed high-backed lounge chairs, which were regularly featured in Arredoluce advertisements for Angelo Lelli’s lighting...

An elaborate and finely detailed carved wood, and gold lacquered Shibayama cabinet (Chigaidansu). Having beautifully applied semi-precious stone and ...

Rare Japanese Shibayama cabinet with multiple drawers and sliding panels. The two central leaves reveal a precious compartment with mult...

Large, rare and important Meiji period, late 19th century, Japanese lacquer cabinet Meiji period (1868-1912) 19th century In three parts, desi...

A spectacular Japanese lacquer and porcelain inlaid display cabinet on stand, kazaridana, Meiji Period, late 19th century, Japan. The sumptuous kazaridana of traditional display cabinet form, with several shelves and enclosed spaces for display and storage. The cabinet decorated all over in beautiful maki-e lacquer against a dense nashiji ground and inset with blue and white Arita porcelain plaques. The front of the cabinet of asymmetric design, with two open display shelves at staggered heights, and several doors enclosing storage areas of various shapes and sizes, including one hinged corner door, two pairs of sliding doors, and one pair of hinged doors opening to reveal a rounded inset corner shelf. A pair of drawers below complete the cabinet. All supported on a separate tall fitted stand. The corner door decorated with a bold scene of a samurai warrior fighting a demon. This most likely depicts the warrior Watanabe no Tsuna battling the demon Ibaraki-doji at Rashomon gate, in which Watanabe no Tsuna attempts to help a young girl return home, carrying her on his back, only for the girl to turn into a demon, which he then must fight. The top pair of sliding doors with a scene of a man playing the sho, a Japanese mouth organ, along the banks of a river with a waterfall in the background. The bottom pair of sliding doors with a waterfall scene on one side, while a scholar lounges with his attendants on the other. The pair of hinged doors finely decorated with a pair of fully armored samurai. The two drawers wonderfully decorated in the kodaiji style with a stream of rushing water and various plants and grasses. The cabinet is decorated in the round, with the top, sides, and base of the cabinet decorated with various scenes of flowers and birds, and inset with blue and white Arita porcelain plaques in the form of traditional fan. The fans painted...

A spectacular Japanese yosegi zaiku marquetry etagere display cabinet, shadona, Meiji Period, circa 1880, Japan. The display cabinet, called a ...

A exquisite, fine quality Meiji period (1868-1912) Japanese black lacquer cabinet on stand with wonderful scrolling gilded decoration. H...