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Edo Animal Sculptures

EDO STYLE

Edo furniture was created during a flourishing time for the decorative arts owing to the stability of the Tokugawa shogunate rule in Japan. Spanning from 1603 to 1867, this era of peace and economic growth supported artistic advancements in lacquer, woodblock printing, porcelain and other artisanal trades. Because the country was largely isolated, there was little outside influence, leading to centuries of exceptional attention to the design of its furnishings and the quality of its traditional arts.

Unlike during the Meiji period that followed, with an increase in domestic and international markets, furniture during the Edo period was predominately commissioned by the ruling class, although people from across social groups benefited from the burgeoning metropolitan hubs for artisanal trades. For instance, Kyoto became a major center for lacquer art. Most furniture pieces were made from wood such as cedar or ash, including the era’s sashimono cabinets, which involved fine joinery and were rooted in the Heian period.

Sashimono cabinets, which were built by master craftsmen in a range of different wood types owing to the various trees that populate Japan, occasionally featured a stack of slender drawers as well as sliding doors. They were popular with everyone from samurai to kabuki actors. Tansu storage chests crafted from wood with metal fittings were also common in Edo-period homes. Some were designed to be easily portable while others were made to double as staircases.

Painted folding screens, called byōbu, were also fashionable, with Japanese artists inspired by nature, literature and scenes of history and daily life to create vivid works. In Buddhist temples and the palatial homes of the aristocratic class, fusuma, or large sliding panels, would sometimes be adorned with gold or silver leaf. These dividers allowed interiors to change throughout the day, closing in small spaces for personal use or reflecting candlelight to illuminate communal spaces after dark.

Find a collection of Edo tables, lighting, decorative objects, wall decorations and more furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Edo
Japan Important Large Pair Early Shinto Temple Lions Hand-Carved, 18th Century
Located in South Burlington, VT
Just discovered and coming from a Shinto Shrine deaccession Call or message us for details or to reserve. Japan an early and superb pair (2) of mythical Shi Shi Temple Foo Dogs als...
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18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Animal Sculptures

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Wood

Japanese Antique Wooden Lion Mask Engraving Edo Period/1603-1868/Shrine Festival
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a very old Japanese "si-si" mask made in the middle to late Edo period. (Japanese ``si-si'' is an imaginary animal that deifies a lion.) It is thought that materials such as...
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18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Animal Sculptures

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Antique Okimono Japanese Sumo Wrestling Frogs Sculpture, 19/20th Century
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Lovely and very detailed piece. Unigned. Japan 19th or early 20th century. Additional information: Material: Porcelain & Pottery Region of Origin: Japan Period: 18th century Japan D...
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19th Century Japanese Antique Edo Animal Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Netsuke Japanese Monkey Thinking Sculpture Meiji Period, 19/20th Century
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Lovely and very detailed piece. Unsigned. Japan 19th or 20th century. Provenance: From the collection of Clemens Merkelbach van Enkhuizen, A well known Dutch painter and artist from...
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Edo Animal Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Rare Buddhist Carved Base for a Statue, Edo Period, 17th Century
Located in Prahran, Victoria
Rare and unusual hexagonal Buddhist base for a statue with a recumbent shi-shi (guardian lion dog), gilded and carved with inset glass eyes and painted with mineral pigments. Most likely the base to a sculpture of Monju Bosatsu...
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Mid-17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Animal Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Japanese Statue Bizen Pottery Monkey by Koyama Isso, 20th Century
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
1932- bizen pottery of a sitting Monkey. Marked at the back. Real name is Mitsuo. Eldest son of Koyama Gengo, pen name is Koyama Isso. Worked for a local brickmaking company but lat...
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20th Century Japanese Edo Animal Sculptures

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Antique Japanese Wood Carving of Two Minogames 'Mythological Turtle', 18th C
Located in North Miami, FL
A sculpture of 2 Minogame turtles with their distinctive fan-like tails. The smaller turtle is standing in the she’ll of the larger one. This is an excellent Japanese hardwood carvin...
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Late 18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Animal Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Hardwood

Netsuke Japanese Dog Eating Skull Sculpture, 20th Century
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Brutal piece. Signed. 20th century Provenance: From the collection of Clemens Merkelbach van Enkhuizen, A well known Dutch painter and artist from Amsterdam. Merkelbach van Enkhuiz...
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20th Century Edo Animal Sculptures

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Porcelain

Pair of Bronze Geese
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Important pair of Japanese bronze birds in the form of geese masterfully crafted. One with a closed beak the other open, both with quirky expressi...
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19th Century Japanese Antique Edo Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

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Edo animal sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Edo animal sculptures for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 19th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage animal sculptures created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, asian art and furniture and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, bronze and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Edo animal sculptures made in a specific country, there are Asia, East Asia, and Japan pieces 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. Prices for animal sculptures differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,000 and tops out at $19,950 while the average work can sell for $4,500.

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