Japonisme Paintings and Screens
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.
19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Brocade, Wood, Paper
Mid-19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Paper
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk, Bamboo
Early 20th Century Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk, Paint, Paper
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Brass
Late 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Paint, Paper
17th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Brass
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Stone
Early 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Paper
19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk, Paper
Late 20th Century Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk, Paint
1920s Japanese Vintage Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk
Early 1900s Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Brocade, Silk, Paper
Early 1900s Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Brocade, Silk, Wood
19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Brocade, Wood, Paper
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Paper
1980s Japanese Vintage Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Paper
1930s Philippine Vintage Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Wood
2010s Japanese Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Sandstone
2010s Japanese Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Sandstone
2010s Japanese Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Sandstone
2010s Japanese Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Sandstone
Late 17th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Wood, Paper
1850s Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Wood, Paper
Early 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Brocade, Paper
18th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk, Paper
Early 17th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk, Paper
1810s Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Brass
1890s Asian Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Fabric, Canvas
19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk
Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Gold Leaf
17th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Fabric, Wood, Lacquer, Paper
17th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Brass
Early 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk
1970s Vintage Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Hardwood, Paint
1940s Chinese Vintage Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Stone
19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Wood, Paper, Silk
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Fabric, Paint
20th Century Japanese Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk, Wood, Paper
1960s Philippine Vintage Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Rattan
Mid-20th Century Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk, Lacquer, Paint
Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Paint, Parchment Paper
Late 20th Century Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Hardwood, Paper
Early 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Paint, Paper
1960s Vintage Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Paper
Late 20th Century Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Lacquer, Paint, Paper
20th Century Japanese Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk, Wood, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk, Hardwood, Paint
Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk, Glass, Wood
Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Silk
Early 20th Century Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Giltwood, Silk, Glass
18th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Paintings and Screens
Brass