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.
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...
Ormolu
Large 19th Century Japanese Imari Vase on Stand
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A large and very impressive 19th Century Japanese lidded Imari vase. Measures: 45". Having a wonderful Foo dog finial to the lid, classical bold blue and orange ground. Scrolling fo...
Porcelain
Large 19th Century Japanese Kutani Vase
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A wonderfully decorative Japanese Kutani vase, Meiji period 1868-1912. Having the classical orange ground with scrolling foliate decoration, inset...
Porcelain
Perignem , Japanese-inspired ceramic vase, not signed, circa 1950
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Perignem, Japanese-inspired ceramic vase, not signed, circa 1950
Ceramic
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...
Ormolu, Enamel
Beautiful monoxylous Wooden Sculpture, Hand-Gouged, France
Located in L’ISLE-SUR-LA-SORGUE, FR
Magnificent wooden sculpture carved from a single piece of wood, depicting a woman with a graceful bearing and a Japanese-inspired character. The artist highlights the purity of the...
Wood
Pair Of Aesthetic/Japonism Style Candelabras - Meiji with Shakudo Decoration
Located in MOUGINS, FR
A beautiful and very large pair of Meiji period Japanese bronze vases with brown patina and caved design with applied gilt and silver bronze inserts representing birds and insects fl...
Bronze
$10,430 / set
Japanese Style Gilt Bronze and Enamel Clock Set
By Japy Frères
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 ...
Bronze, Enamel
Japanese Edo Period Carved Seated Fasting Buddha, 18th C./Early 19th C.
Located in New York, NY
Japanese Edo Period Carved Seated Fasting Buddha, 18th C./Early 19th C. DIMENSIONS Height: 9.5 inches (24 cm) Width: 7 inches (18 cm) Depth: 5 inches (12.8 cm) ABOUT This early Edo...
Wood
Japanese Emperor Shōwa Period Classic Oval-Shaped Vase, Ca. 1960
Located in New York, NY
Japanese Emperor Shōwa Period Classic Oval-Shaped Vase, Ca. 1960 Emperor Shōwa Period - from 1926 to 1989/1990) Featuring bamboo handles. Signed on the bottom. DIMENSIONS Height:...
Porcelain
Large Masons Iron Stone Pagoda Lidded Vase, 19th Century
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A very impressive large 19th century Masons iron stone pagoda style lidded vase. Having the classic Imari colours if cobalt blue ground and orange hi...
Earthenware
Pr. 19 C. French Japonisme Gilt Bronze & Marble Mounted Porcelain Vases, Malpass
Located in New York, NY
A Fine Pair of 19th-Century French Japonisme Gilt Bronze-Mounted Porcelain Vases with Double Handles, Resting on Black Marble Bases, by Louis Pierre Malpass. The vases have an elonga...
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze