Antique Meiji
Early 20th Century Metalwork
Metal, Enamel
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Jars
Earthenware
Antique 19th Century Japanese Meiji Ceramics
Pottery
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Vases
Bronze
Early 20th Century Japanese Decorative Baskets
Bamboo
Antique Early 1900s Japanese Metalwork
Bronze
Antique 19th Century Japanese Jars
Porcelain
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Vases
Bronze
Antique 19th Century Japanese Prints
Paper
Antique 19th Century Japanese Edo Furniture
Cedar
Antique 19th Century Japanese Prints
Paper
Antique 19th Century Japanese Prints
Paper
Antique 19th Century Japanese Qing Ceramics
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century Japanese Vases
Enamel
Early 20th Century Pottery
Pottery
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Arts and Crafts Cupboards
Glass, Wood
20th Century Japanese Decorative Bowls
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century Japanese Meiji Metalwork
Bronze
Early 20th Century Japanese Planters, Cachepots and Jardinières
Wood, Lacquer
Antique 19th Century Japanese Antiquities
Wood, Lacquer
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Late Victorian Ceramics
Ceramic
Antique 19th Century Japanese Edo Decorative Bowls
Porcelain
Antique Mid-19th Century Japanese Meiji Decorative Boxes
Bronze
Early 20th Century Japanese Ceramics
Porcelain
Antique 18th Century Japanese Edo Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century Japanese Table Lamps
Metal
Antique 19th Century Japanese Early Victorian Ceramics
Ormolu
Early 20th Century Japanese Metalwork
Bronze
Antique 19th Century Japanese Meiji Metalwork
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Metalwork
Bronze
Antique 19th Century Edo Ceramics
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s Japanese Late Victorian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Elm
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Vases
Enamel
Vintage 1920s Japanese Planters and Jardinieres
Bronze
Antique 19th Century Japanese Edo Sculptures and Carvings
Cypress
Antique 19th Century Japanese Meiji Ceramics
Pottery
Antique 19th Century Japanese Sculptures and Carvings
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Sculptures and Carvings
Bronze
Antique 19th Century Japanese Edo Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century Chinese Metalwork
Copper, Bronze
Antique 19th Century Japanese Chinoiserie Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century Japanese Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century Japanese Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Ceramics
Ceramic, Porcelain
Antique 19th Century Japanese Planters and Jardinieres
Bronze
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antiquities
Silver, Copper
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Metalwork
Brass, Enamel
Antique 19th Century Lacquer
Enamel
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Vases
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Vases
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Japanese Meiji Table Lamps
Metal
20th Century Japanese Other Decorative Boxes
Silver
Antique 19th Century Japanese Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Porcelain
Vintage 1920s Japanese Beaux Arts Planters, Cachepots and Jardinières
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Side Tables
Elm
Antique 19th Century Metalwork
Bronze
Antique 19th Century Japanese Japonisme Lacquer
Bronze
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Antique Meiji For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Antique Meiji?
A Close Look at Meiji Furniture
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.








