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Japonisme Clocks

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
Tiffany & Co. Ormulu Bronze Champlevé Enamel Mantel Clock Garniture
Located in Guaynabo, PR
Tiffany's clock case with enamel roman numbers and bronze snake dials. At the top, the clock is adorned with an Indian palace gallery and dome that has a crane finial over it and dragon head legs. The rectangular clock...
Category

Late 19th Century American Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

An Exceptional French Japonisme Ormolu and Champleve Enamel Five Piece Clock Set
Located in Queens, NY
An Exceptional French Japonisme Ormolu and Champlevé Enamel Five-Piece Clock Set, In the Manner of Edouard Lièvre, circa 1870, Paris. This extraordinary French Japonisme clock set, ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Enamel, Ormolu

Antique Jade and Silvered Bronze Mantel Clock Retailed by Yamanaka & Co.
Located in New York, US
Our lovely portico style mantel clock, retailed by Yamanaka & Company Ltd. in New York in the early 20th century, features a silverplate frame flanked by two finely carved foo lions ...
Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Jade, Metal

A 19 C. French Japonisme Clock Garniture, Att. E. Cornu, Style of Édouard Lièvre
Located in New York, NY
A 19th-Century French Japonisme Three-Piece Figural Garniture Clock Set Attributed to Eugène Cornu, in the Style of Édouard Lièvre. Consisting of a mantel clock and a pair of matchin...
Category

1870s French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Onyx, Bronze

Antique Japanese Bronze Barrel Form Table or Mantel Clock
Located in New York, NY
Very unique antique (late 19th to early 20th century) table or mantel clock in the Japonisme style, possibly of continental origin, in the form of a Japanese drum or barrel on stand,...
Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze

« The Musician » Japanese style Clock attr. to L'Escalier de Cristal, FR, c.1890
Located in PARIS, FR
Amusing bronze with double patina and porcelain clock in the shape of a covered jar. This clock, with a dial with Arabic numerals decorated in its center with a seated lute player, i...
Category

1890s French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze

"Pagoda" Clock attr. to L'Escalier de Cristal, France, circa 1885
Located in PARIS, FR
Beautiful Japonisme clock in openwork patinated bronze with gold and silver highlights in the shape of a pagoda, at the corners presenting stylized dragons above uprights imitating b...
Category

1880s French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze

French Japonisme style gilt bronze and enamel mantel clock
Located in London, GB
French Japonisme style gilt bronze and enamel mantel clock French, 19th Century Height 30cm, width 18cm, depth 14.5cm This fine mantel clock is of rectangular form, with a gilt bron...
Category

19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Ormolu, Enamel

Japonisme Gilt and Silvered Bronze Clock Garniture Set By E.F. Caldwell & Co
Located in New York, NY
A darling garniture set of three exotic peacocks mounted as a clock and a pair of two light candlesticks. In crisply cast bronze, the intricate details of the birds' feathers, the fl...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze

A Japonisme Gilt-Bronze and Brass Three-Piece Clock Set
Located in London, GB
A Japonisme gilt-bronze and brass three-piece clock set French, Late 19th Century Clock: height 52cm, width 31cm, depth 12cm Candelabra: height 55cm, width 32cm, depth 9cm Made in F...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Brass, Ormolu

Japanese Style Gilt Brass Clock Set with Silvered Brass and Porcelain Mounts
Located in London, GB
This Japanese style clock set was crafted in France in circa 1880. The set consists of a central clock, which is accompanied by two vases. The central clock features a gilt brass rectangular body with a pitched top, like a pavilion roof. The roof is mounted with wavy, silvered brass forms, and topped by a silvered brass ball finial, with a pointed end, which is bracketed by wavy forms. Mounted onto the four corners of the clock’s front facade are silvered dragons and cloud-like motifs. The central panel is recessed, and contains the gilt brass circular clock dial, inscribed with Roman Numerals. The centre of the clock dial is decorated with embossed flowers and a circular, red form, with a painting of a bird at its centre. The dial is signed with the retailer’s name, ‘ALEX'R M HAYS, NEW YORK’. The space below the dial is ornamented with relief flowers, a black porcelain triangle, which is overlaid with floral designs, and a dark blue porcelain fan, decorated with buildings. They are accompanied by the porcelain figure of a Japanese woman, wearing a kimono and seated at a koto. Similar recessed panels, featuring porcelain birds and coloured geometric forms, decorate the sides of the clock body. These are mounted with wavy, silvered brass shapes, which serve as handles. The clock body is set on a rectangular, silvered brass base, which is raised up on four bracket feet, and features a cloud-like silvered brass apron. The vases that accompany the clock have tall, soft-edged rectangular bodies, and are decorated in a similar style to the central clock. They likewise feature silvered brass finials, handles and bases, and gilt brass bodies, which are decorated with embossed flowers, geometric painted porcelain shapes, and Japanese figures. Unlike the clock, however, the vases feature full-length portraits of standing Japanese figures. One vase depicts a woman, who wears a kimono and raised wooden shoes (geta), and who holds a parasol and fan. On the other vase, the image shows a man dressed in a haroi jacket, with a kosode and trousers underneath, and sandals on his feet. He holds a knife and circular, metal shield, and carries a katana sword...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Brass

Antique French Japonisme Mantel Clock with Floral Champlevé Enamel
Located in London, GB
Antique French Japonisme mantel clock with floral Champlevé enamel French, late 19th century Dimensions: Height 51cm, width 27.5cm, depth 22cm Beautifully wrought from patinated bronze and champlevé enamel, this mantel clock is designed in the Japonisme style. The style was popular in 19th Century Europe following the opening of Japan to trade and cultural exchange. The clock stands on four cabriole feet, with a pierced Japanese style apron to the bottom. The central case is stepped, with the main section of rectangular profile, and mounted with pierced patinated bronze vines...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu

19th Century Japanese Imari & French Bronze Mantel Clock
Located in Los Angeles, CA
JAPANESE IMARI PORCELAIN AND ORMOLU MOUNTED MANTEL CLOCK, 19TH CENTURY urn shaped with three ormolu mounted cherubs with Roman Numeral and Arabic dial. Dimensions Height: 22" Width: ...
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze

French Chinoiserie/Japanism Dore Bronze and Hand Painted Porcelain Clock
Located in New York, NY
A very unusual and quite rare 19th century French chinoiserie/Japanism dore bronze mounted and hand painted porcelain aesthetic movement clock, attributed to E. Lièvre, most probably...
Category

1870s French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Ormolu

Antique French Japonisme Silvered Bronze and Porcelain Three-Piece Clock Set
Located in London, GB
Antique French Japonisme silvered bronze and porcelain three-piece clock set French, Late 19th Century Clock: Height 36cm, width 32cm, depth 17cm Candelabra: Height 28cm, width 26...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Japanese Style Gilt Bronze and Enamel Clock Set
Located in London, GB
This beautiful clock set is designed in a fanciful Japanese style, known in France in the 19th Century as ‘Japonisme’. The style became highly fashionable in Europe after 1853, when ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

French Japanism Champleve Enamel Ormolu Mounted Clock, Christofle & Cie, 1800s
Located in New York, NY
French Japanism Champlevé Enamel Ormolu Mounted Clock, Christofle & Cie. The clock consists of a spherical champlevé enamel body mounted in an ormolu structure. The enamel surface i...
Category

19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Ormolu, Enamel

Japanese Style Clock attr. to L'Escalier de Cristal, France, Circa 1885
Located in PARIS, FR
Rare Japanese clock in double patina bronze with suspended dial. The portico and dial, with calligraphic Kanji numerals complemented by hands featuring an undulating dragon, are deco...
Category

1880s French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Antique Three-Piece Meiji Period Japonisme Vase Clock Set
Located in London, GB
Antique three-piece Meiji period Japonisme vase clock set French/Japanese, late 19th century Measures: Clock height 47cm, diameter 22cm Candelabra height 55cm, width 25cm, depth 2...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Ormolu

French Japonisme Mantel Clock and Candelabra Attributed to Edouard Lievre
Located in New York, US
Our mantel clock and candelabra with silvered, gilt and cloisonne enamel surfaces in the French Japonisme style dates from the 1870s and is in good condition. Attributed to the influ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

French Antique Ormolu Mounted Porcelain Japonisme Style Garniture Set
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine antique 19th century French gilt bronze and hand painted porcelain 3-piece clock set in the Japonisme style. The clock finely decorated with porcelain plaques, painted in the Japanese style with Cherry blossom branches. The front plaque features a Sulphur-crested cockatoo with a red sun in the sky on the right. The clock’s rectangular body is crowned by an arched top which contains a circular porcelain dial. This dial features a painting of a pair of birds on a cherry branch at its center, encircled by black Roman Numerals within white cartouches. The shoulders of the clock are mounted with gilt bronze elephant...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Arthur WAAGEN Japanese-style clock set
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
By Arthur WAAGEN (active 1869-1910). Japanese-style clock set. Made out of spelter. Representing a young woman dressed in a kimono
Category

19th Century French Antique Japonisme Clocks

Materials

Ormolu

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Bronze

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Japonisme clocks for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Japonisme clocks for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Early 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage clocks created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, asian art and furniture, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, bronze and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Japonisme clocks made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Asia pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original clocks, popular names associated with this style include Japy Frères, Adalbert Waagen, Cristalleries De Baccarat, and Imari Porcelain. 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 clocks differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,498 and tops out at $75,000 while the average work can sell for $14,395.

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