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Meiji Picture Frames

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MEIJI STYLE

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.

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Style: Meiji
Rare Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Oval Frame with Chrysanthemums, Manner of Hayashi
Rare Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Oval Frame with Chrysanthemums, Manner of Hayashi

Rare Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Oval Frame with Chrysanthemums, Manner of Hayashi

Located in Long Island City, NY

Rare Japanese Cloisonné Oval Frame with Birds & Chrysanthemums, in the Manner of Hayashi An exceptionally rare Japanese cloisonné enamel picture frame of oval form, worked in the manner of Hayashi Kodenji, dating to the Meiji period. The frame is decorated on a rich black enamel ground with finely executed silver wire chrysanthemums, accompanied by smaller red and purple blossoms at the base, each flower shaded with naturalistic enamels of the highest quality. The interior holds an original Japanese watercolor of three swallows in flight, gracefully rendered in delicate tones of blue, white, and yellow. The watercolor is unsigned and can be replaced at the purchaser’s discretion with a family photograph or another image, though the original work adds to the object’s rarity and charm. Frames of this type are among the rarest forms in Japanese cloisonné production, most surviving examples being vases, dishes, or boxes. The level of detail in the wirework here—the meticulous use of silver wire for the chrysanthemums and the naturalistic rendering of foliage—demonstrates the refined artistry associated with the finest cloisonné masters of the period. This piece is in excellent condition with a small hair line in the black ground see photo. Cloisonné picture frames...

Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Meiji Picture Frames

Materials

Enamel

Japanese Meiji Bronze Dorè Dragon Picture Frame
Japanese Meiji Bronze Dorè Dragon Picture Frame

Japanese Meiji Bronze Dorè Dragon Picture Frame

Located in Bradenton, FL

Japanese Meiji Dore Bronze Dragon Picture Frame. Frame features richly detailed dragons coiling around the frame's perimeter, their scaled bodies,...

Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Meiji Picture Frames

Materials

Brass

19th Century Japanese Meiji Bronze Koi Fish Picture Frame
19th Century Japanese Meiji Bronze Koi Fish Picture Frame

19th Century Japanese Meiji Bronze Koi Fish Picture Frame

Located in Bradenton, FL

Japanese Meiji Dore Koi Fish Picture Frame. Frame features a lively school of Koi fish swimming through swirling currents and stylized waves. The composition captures the movement of...

Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Meiji Picture Frames

Materials

Brass

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Lacquered Fruitwood Picture Frame, Italian, 19th Century, 68 cm
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Lacquered Fruitwood Picture Frame, Italian, 19th Century, 68 cm

Located in Alessandria, Piemonte

In 1900, at the death of king Umberto I, many frames and furniture had been painted black as a sign of mourning. I cleaned it and lightened it with a nice shaded beige lacquer. Suit...

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Tiffany Studios Gilt-Bronze Picture Frame, circa 1900
Tiffany Studios Gilt-Bronze Picture Frame, circa 1900

Tiffany Studios Gilt-Bronze Picture Frame, circa 1900

By Tiffany Studios

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

Tiffany Studios gilt-bronze picture frame, circa 1900 Stamped Tiffany Studios/NEW YORK/1611. Measures: Height 11.87 in. (30.16 cm.), Width 9.75 in. (24.76 cm.).   

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Early 1900s Antique Meiji Picture Frames

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Glass

Exceptional Japanese Cloisonné Enamel Vase Attributed to Hayashi Kodenji
Exceptional Japanese Cloisonné Enamel Vase Attributed to Hayashi Kodenji

Exceptional Japanese Cloisonné Enamel Vase Attributed to Hayashi Kodenji

Located in Long Island City, NY, NY

An exceptional Japanese cloisonné enamel vase of the Meiji period, circa 1890, attributed to the celebrated Nagoya enamel master Hayashi Kodenji (1831–1915). Distinguished by its bri...

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19th Century Japanese Antique Meiji Picture Frames

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Copper, Enamel

19th Century Gilt Bronze Picture Frame in French Empire Style
19th Century Gilt Bronze Picture Frame in French Empire Style

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Located in New York, NY

Finely crafted antique (19th century) gilt bronze standing picture frame in the French empire style with two rectangular panels connected by hinge with applied neoclassical motifs in...

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19th Century French Antique Meiji Picture Frames

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Bronze

American 19th Century Coved Picture Frame. Original Gold Gilding
American 19th Century Coved Picture Frame. Original Gold Gilding

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Located in Rochester, NY

Antique American gilt picture frame. Rabbet measures 12.5" x 10.5" Perfect for a 12" x 10" painting. '

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19th Century American Antique Meiji Picture Frames

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Gold Leaf

Small Antique Faux Burr Walnut Picture Frame. English, 19th Century
Small Antique Faux Burr Walnut Picture Frame. English, 19th Century

Small Antique Faux Burr Walnut Picture Frame. English, 19th Century

Located in St Annes, Lancashire

Wonderful faux burr walnut picture frame Painted and gilt on gesso Original patina. A delightful colour The measurement given below is the outside of the frame Internally it meas...

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1880s English Antique Meiji Picture Frames

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Gesso

Tiffany Studios New York Adam Pattern Bronze Doré Picture Frame
Tiffany Studios New York Adam Pattern Bronze Doré Picture Frame

Tiffany Studios New York Adam Pattern Bronze Doré Picture Frame

By Tiffany Studios

Located in South Bend, IN

A gorgeous antique gilt bronze Neoclassical or Adam style picture frame By Tiffany Studios (signed to the back) New York, USA, Early 20th Century Measures: 6.5"W x 4"D x 9.25"H V...

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Early 20th Century American Meiji Picture Frames

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Bronze

Picture Frame Oval Emerald Green enamel and hand-carved Salimbeni
Picture Frame Oval Emerald Green enamel and hand-carved Salimbeni

Picture Frame Oval Emerald Green enamel and hand-carved Salimbeni

By Salimbeni, Giorgio Salimbeni

Located in Firenze, FI

Oval photo frame in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent emerald green fired enamel on guilloché and with ornaments in the French Empire Napoleon III style. External...

Category

1980s Italian Vintage Meiji Picture Frames

Materials

Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel

A Fine, Large Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Cobalt Blue Vase with Cranes, Hayashi
A Fine, Large Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Cobalt Blue Vase with Cranes, Hayashi

A Fine, Large Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Cobalt Blue Vase with Cranes, Hayashi

Located in Long Island City, NY, NY

A Fine and Large Japanese Cloisonné Enamel Silver Wire Cobalt Blue Vase – Hayashi School Masterpiece A stunning example of Japanese cloisonné artistry, this fine and large cobalt bl...

Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Meiji Picture Frames

Materials

Copper, Enamel

Rectangular table frame for oval photo in sterling silver with fired enamels
Rectangular table frame for oval photo in sterling silver with fired enamels

Rectangular table frame for oval photo in sterling silver with fired enamels

By Salimbeni, Giorgio Salimbeni

Located in Firenze, FI

Rectangular table frame for oval photo cm. 5.5 x 7.2 in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent fired enamel, aqua green, on guilloché, with borders and ornaments in th...

Category

1970s Italian Vintage Meiji Picture Frames

Materials

Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel

Japanese Cloisonné Enamel Vase Attributed to Hayashi Kodenji with Cranes
Japanese Cloisonné Enamel Vase Attributed to Hayashi Kodenji with Cranes

Japanese Cloisonné Enamel Vase Attributed to Hayashi Kodenji with Cranes

Located in Long Island City, NY, NY

A highly refined and important example of Japanese cloisonné enamel from the Meiji period (1868–1912), attributed to Hayashi Kodenji, one of the most influential pioneers in the deve...

Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Meiji Picture Frames

Materials

Copper, Enamel

Small Silvered Bronze Picture Frame by Maison Baguès
Small Silvered Bronze Picture Frame by Maison Baguès

Small Silvered Bronze Picture Frame by Maison Baguès

$1,136Sale Price|20% Off

H 6.11 in W 4.73 in D 4.14 in

Small Silvered Bronze Picture Frame by Maison Baguès

By Maison Baguès

Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France

This very nice small picture frame is made of silvered bronze. This is a French work by Maison Baguès. Circa 1940

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1940s French Vintage Meiji Picture Frames

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Gold, Precious Stone, and Enamel Frame in the Manner of Fabergé
Gold, Precious Stone, and Enamel Frame in the Manner of Fabergé

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By Fabergé

Located in London, GB

This picture frame is designed in the style of Fabergé. The frame is rectangular in profile with chamfered corners. The surface of the frame is profusely ornamented with guilloché enamel in a bright blue, the interior and exterior edge of the enamel being bounded by gold edging. This edging features geometrical and foliate motifs, complementary motifs, also wrought from gold, are mounted upon the guilloché enamel that defines the surface of the frame. These gold motifs are distinctly classical in nature: Grecian sphinxes...

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20th Century Russian Meiji Picture Frames

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Previously Available Items

Meiji picture frames for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Meiji picture frames for sale on 1stDibs. 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.