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.
Oriental porcelain - Cup and saucer
Located in Porto, PT
Oriental porcelain - Cup and saucer. Made of Japanese porcelain - Meiji Period (1868-1912); polychrome and gold decoration. Marked 'Zoshuntei'. Dimensions: 9 x 14 cm
Porcelain
$540Sale Price|55% Off
Meiji Period Porcelain Wine Ewer
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
A Japanese, Meiji period, porcelain wine ewer. Fans set off the figural reserves. This is the finest & earliest of the "new Kutani". Marked Kutani & Happiness. 9 1/2" h., 6" over ha...
Porcelain
$1,367 / set
H 2.37 in Dm 4.93 in
Herend Hungary Porcelain "Chinese Bouquet Apponyi Green" Egg Cups and Plates
By Herend
Located in Delft, NL
Herend Hungary porcelain "Chinese Bouquet Apponyi Green" egg cups and plates Set of 12 egg cups and 12 small plates The plates has number 512/AV, (...
Porcelain
$195 / set
H 2.25 in W 2.25 in D 2.25 in
Maxim’s de Paris Porcelain Espresso Cups and Saucers, Set of 2 Art Nouveau Style
By Limoges
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Maxim’s de Paris Porcelain Espresso Cups and Saucers, Set of 2, Art Nouveau Style A charming set of espresso cups and saucers from Maxim's de Paris, the legendary Parisian restaurant...
Porcelain
Art Deco Japanese Porcelain Vases Meiji Period, Pair
Located in New York, NY
A very beautiful pair of polychromed Kutani porcelain Japanese vases, circa early 20th century, Meiji period, Japan. Vases are hand painted and designed with two different sides; one...
Porcelain
Shells Table Cups in Porcelain and Bronze
Located in Paris, FR
Table cups shells in hand-painted porcelain and with structure in bronze.
Bronze
Early and Rare 19th Century Peafowl/Stick Spatter Childs Cup and Saucer
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This rare and early Pennsylvania 19th century stick spatter peafowl stick spatter child's cup and saucer set is in great condition. This fantastic Folk A...
Ceramic
$3,450 / set
H 3.38 in Dm 5.38 in
Pair of Antique Russian Silver Vermeil Hand Engraved Toasting Cups and Saucers
Located in CHARLESTON, SC
Pair of extraordinary quality antique Russian .875 fine silver vermeil hand engraved rare toasting cups and saucers. Gilt "Florentine" or matte finish with bright gilding on cup i...
Vermeil, Silver
$1,950
H 2.5 in Dm 4.88 in
Antique Russian .875 Silver Hand Engraved Cup and Saucer, Baladanova, Moscow
By Varvara Baladanova
Located in CHARLESTON, SC
Exceptionally fine and rare antique Russian .875 fine silver hand engraved cup and saucer against a "Florentine" or matte finish with gilt interior. Make...
Silver
$3,688 / item
Antique Vienna Porcelain Cup and Saucer
Located in Newark, England
Decorated with a Classical Scene Measurements Saucer 2.7cm High x 13.4cm Diameter (1.1 x 5.3 Inches) Cup 6.5cm High x 8.5cm Long x 6.5cm Wide (2.56 x 3.35 x 2.56 Inches) From our C...
Ceramic, Porcelain
$1,895 / set
H 10 in W 10 in D 1 in
50 Piece Quimper Dinner Set Soups Salad Cups Saucers Coffee & Teapot More
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous dinner set of 50 pieces by the Henriot Quimper co. Their beautiful yellow color with the traditional peasant man ,& woman. Handmade & hand painted set is a classic. ...
Clay, Faience
Hermes Wine Bottle Topper, 1960s France
By Hermès
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful vintage Hermès equestrian bottle topper. Horseshoe shape on top and "Hermès Paris" embossed on outer rim. Beautiful accent piece to elevate any bar, bar cart or dinner tabl...
Metal
Rosenthal Andy Warhol ‘Daisy‘’ XL Cup and Saucer
By Andy Warhol, Rosenthal
Located in Waddinxveen, ZH
Rosenthal Studio-Line XL cup with saucer, suitable for a latte, soup, tea or your cereals. Andy Warhol, quite possibly the greatest pop art artist of our time. The Flowers print port...
Porcelain
Vintage Lenox montclair tea cups and saucers set for 10
By Lenox's Ceramic Art Company
Located in Birmingham, AL
Preowned. Gorgeous Lenox Montclair Tea Cup & Saucer Set of 10 , 20 pieces : Presidential, Standard, ivory color Platinum Trim... Pattern Status: Discontinued. Actual: ...
Bone
$1,176 / set
H 2.56 in Dm 4.34 in
Chinoiserie Set of Four Porcelain Cups Hand Painted Sofina Boutique Kitzbuehel
Located in Kitzbühel, Tirol
These completely handmade porcelain cups with saucers are painted by hand with a charming hands-free chinoiserie decor. The set comes as a set of four hand painted cups with a chinoi...
Porcelain
Japanese Porcelain Stem Bowl by Makuzu Kozan Meiji Period
By Makuzu Kozan
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Japanese porcelain stem bowl with beautifully decorated glazed surface by Makuzu Kozan, also known as Miyagawa Kozan (1842–1916), one of the most established and collected ceramist...
Ceramic
Vienna Porcelain Cup and Saucer
Located in Newark, England
Decorated with a Female Portrait Measurements Saucer 2.7cm High x 13.4cm Diameter (1.1 x 5.3 Inches) Cup 6.5cm High x 8.5cm Long x 6.5cm Wide (2.56 x 3.35 x 2.56 Inches) From our Ceramics collection, we are pleased to offer this Vienna Cup and Saucer. The Vienna Cup and Saucer made from porcelain with a deep dish saucer beautifully decorated with intricate gilt scrollwork bordering each colour and scene. Colours of turquoise and deep purple finish the inner saucer with a central medallion of white glaze. The base of the saucer is signed in underglaze blue with the classic Vienna beehive mark. The matching cup is features a central hand painted romantic scene of a Shepard and shepherdess in a classical garden perched next to a marble bust on column...
Ceramic, Porcelain
Sold
H 1.38 in W 15.67 in D 11.66 in
Old Japanese wooden square tray/20th century/tray with beautiful grain
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a round wooden tray made in Japan from the end of the Meiji period to the Showa period. The wood is Zelkova. Zelkova wood is widely known as a high-quality wood and is a trad...
Wood
Sold
H 2.17 in W 29.93 in D 23.63 in
Antique Papier Mache Japanese Hand Painted Burgundy Tray, Japan, Late '800s
Located in Roma, IT
Magnificent antique hand-painted papier mache tray produced in Japan during the late 19th Century. This incredibly charming tray is made in a fantastic deep burgundy lacquered colo...
Wood, Paper
Large Stunning Japanese Imari Fish Porcelain Plate Meiji
Located in Den Haag, NL
Makes me smile .when i see this Serving dish .The platter has been hand-painted and decorated with traditional Imari motifs. Meiji era (1868–1912) In rich shades of cobalt blue and ...
Ceramic
Japanese Iron Tea Ceremony Teapot with Original Brazier
Located in Pasadena, CA
This is a traditional Japanese tea ceremony teapot and dates to the late Meiji period. The teapot is in overall good condition with the original handles lacking.
Iron
Collection of 4 Imari Japanese Chargers with Various Motifs
Located in Miami, FL
A fine collection of four good quality 19th century Japanese Imari Porcelain chargers. Varying motifs and dimensions, measurements are between 7 3/8" diameter up to x 1 1/4" high. ...
Porcelain
Meiji-Period Japanese Silver Tea Canisters
Located in New Orleans, LA
These exceptional Japanese silver tea canisters were crafted during Japan's highly creative Meiji period. The impeccable pair feature an intricate design of irises in high relief wrapped continuously around the canisters' hammered exteriors. Stunning and sublime, this remarkable pair embodies the flawless beauty of Meiji silver. Thanks to expositions such as the 1862 International Exhibition in London and the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, Japanese and other Asian arts and crafts were in great demand in Europe and the United States. Western art lovers were especially enthusiastic about the metal wares, the likes of which they had never seen before. The legacy of these Japanese decorative arts is seen most readily in the Art Nouveau style that it influenced in the West. Artists and artisans such as Alfonse Mucha...
Silver