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.
$2,069Sale Price / item|20% Off
KITA LIVING Wa Table
By Gökhan Eryaman, İsmail Dağlı, Tuğberk Kurtaran
Located in Bomonti, TR
Contoured by a delicate structure, Wa Table takes its name from the Japanese word “harmony”. It characterizes its presence in the balance of soulful forms and refined details. Craf...
Oak
$4,950
H 27.75 in Dm 47.75 in
Round Mid-Century Dining Table Attributed to Chet Beardsley for Living Designs
Located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
A sculptural American mid-century modern round dining table attributed to Chet Beardsley for Living Designs. A richly grained wood top rests on an intersecting architectural pedestal...
Wood, Walnut
$9,740 / item
H 29.93 in W 35.44 in D 35.44 in
Origami Mahjong Table in Genuine Leather By André Fu Living
By André Fu
Located in Admiralty, HK
inspired by the unique geometries of origami art, our mahjong table is distinctly modern in spirit. hand-crafted in solid ash wood and completed with an ...
Leather, Ash
$9,091 / item
H 28.75 in Dm 63 in
Round Dining Table With Lazy Susan 160cm Interlock By André Fu Living
By André Fu
Located in Admiralty, HK
Description: Round dining table with lazy susan Round wooden dining table 160cm with lazy susan in the middle. Removable lazy susan for cleaning purpose....
Ash
$3,510 / item
H 29.53 in W 47.25 in D 47.25 in
Turno dining, living table, in lacquered wood by Frattinifrilli for Medulum
Located in Meolo, Venezia
“Exquisite melting silken tints, veined roses and pale violets, like the draperies of Veronese, golden orange, yellows, vinous and intense, like Titian’s simarres … undulate, conflict, and lose themselves under the innumerable flaming darts descending from above at every discharge of the sun’s rays.” Hippolyte Taine, Italy Turning identity. An object and its infinite possibilities; unique and unmistakeable, while at the same time constantly different. Like the lagoon landscape, in its infinite nuances of luminous reflections, glare and iridescent colours, the table designed by frattinifrilli – Milanese designer Davide Frattini Frilli – reveals itself to be a piece of furniture with an unmistakeable identity, which simultaneously expresses numerous aspects of its identity. In TURNO, a tabletop with an imposing personality – solid, and at the same time lightweight, entirely similar to a solid sculpture...
Wood, Plywood
$2,668Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.53 in Dm 33.47 in
Round Dining Table / Kitchen Table / Tea Table / Entryway Table in Tiffany Blue
By Spinzi
Located in Milano, IT
Architectural Dining Table - Sculptural Round Table - Contemporary Collectible Table - Made in Milano - Made in Italy Available in differen colour and size on request - Enquire at S...
Metal, Steel
$11,120 / item
H 28.75 in Dm 78.75 in
Interlock Round Dining Table with Lazy Suzan in 200cm By André Fu Living
By André Fu
Located in Admiralty, HK
our timeless dining table is conceived to embrace a modern interpretation to traditional interlocking timber furniture. crafted in solid ash with a flushed lazy-susan, the table is a...
Ash
Epoxy Table - Epoxy Resin Table Rivers Edge Table - Resin Wood Table
Located in İnegöl, TR
Custom Epoxy Resin Dining Table - Epoxy Resin Wood Table This table is made of 500 years old Walnut Wood. The grains and texture of the wood describe what a natural walnut woods loo...
Steel
"À Table" Dining Table
By Project 213A
Located in Macieira de Sarnes, PT
À table - dining table. An asymmetric table top standing on five oval legs. Each segment carved from an individual piece of cherry wood to showcase the natura...
Cherry
$11,201 / item
H 30.52 in W 38.98 in D 38.98 in
Clover Mahjong Table in Genuine Leather & Ash Wood By André Fu Living
By André Fu
Located in Admiralty, HK
re-imagining traditional oriental craftsmanship for the modern era, the hand-crafted clover mahjong table combines the timeless beauty of solid ashwood with a built-in wireless charg...
Leather, Ash
Drexel New Todays Living Mid Century Blonde Dining Table
By Drexel
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Drexel New Todays living Mid Century blonde dining table This table measures: 61.5 wide x 40 deep x 29.5 high, with a chair height of 24 inches, each leaf i...
Wood
$2,925 / item
H 28.75 in Dm 49.22 in
Variazioni dining and living table, in oak wood by NaessiStudio for Medulum
Located in Meolo, Venezia
A vast, mirror-like expanse, the waters of the Venetian lagoon come to life with the passage of vessels, taking on chromatic mutations and luminous wrinkles in a continuous reflection which brings its surface to life. In VARIATIONS, the piece of furniture designed for the brand by NAESSI STUDIO – the Roman design duo Eleonora Carbone and Alessandro D’Angeli...
Wood, Oak, Plywood
$8,894Sale Price|20% Off
H 28.15 in Dm 51.19 in
Vintage Wood and Brass Living Room Table by Ettore Sottsass, Published
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Milano, IT
Gorgeous wooden living room table designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1959, belonging to the T72 model, for the fine Italian manufacture Poltronova. Published on Ettore Sottsass book...
Metal, Brass
Japanese dining table
Located in Paris, FR
Takanobu Kuramata (1973) Important dining table, 2022, with a rectangular top with rounded edges, carved from rubberwood and mounted on an ovoid Japanese beech trunk. Unique piece,...
Wood
Sold
H 32 in W 43.5 in D 63.5 in
Japanese Oak High Relief Hand Carved Chinoiserie Extendable Dining Table
Located in Dayton, OH
An impressive oriental dining room set that made in Okinawa Japan, circa 1970s. Hand crafted from oak with high relief intricately carved vil...
Glass, Oak