Japonisme Ceramics
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.
1870s French Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Faience
1960s Danish Vintage Japonisme Ceramics
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Japonisme Ceramics
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
1880s Belgian Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
1870s French Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Faience, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Earthenware
Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Gold
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Porcelain
19th Century Japanese Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
20th Century Japanese Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
19th Century Spanish Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
20th Century Danish Japonisme Ceramics
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Portuguese Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
15th Century and Earlier Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Earthenware
1880s French Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic, Majolica
Mid-20th Century Danish Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
Early 1700s Dutch Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic, Faience
2010s Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Danish Japonisme Ceramics
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Japonisme Ceramics
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Japonisme Ceramics
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Japonisme Ceramics
Stoneware
1960s Japanese Vintage Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
1970s French Vintage Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Faience
19th Century Unknown Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic
1870s French Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Ormolu, Enamel
Late 19th Century French Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Earthenware
1890s Japanese Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Porcelain
1870s French Antique Japonisme Ceramics
Ceramic