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.
Antique Bronze Champleve Floor Lamp
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Impressive antique bronze Japanese Meiji style Champleve Enamel floor lamp featuring floral motifs with geometric borders, once an oil lamp now electrified.
Bronze, Enamel
19th Century Antique Japanese Meiji Bronze Floor Lamp
Located in Point Richmond, CA
19th century antique Japanese Meiji bronze floor lamp. This finely cast, well composed, pedestal lamp depicts mythical creatures on the base, cranes in high relief on the stem are...
Bronze
Japanese Champlevé Bronze Floor Lamp, Meiji Style, Elephants, 1880
Located in Montreal, QC
A Japanese floor oil lamp, crafted in bronze with a dark lush patina and decorated with enamel in a champlevé technique in floral designs with peasants....
Bronze, Enamel
Giacometti Style Pair Gesso over Bronze Floor Lamps
By Alberto and Diego Giacometti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of bronze floor lamps with a white gesso finish in the Style Giacometti - The pair are in wonderful overall condition, the bronze has been repaired and the original finish upgra...
Bronze
Antique Bronze Floor Lamp with Stained Glass Shade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Antique Tiffany-style floor lamp featuring a richly colored stained glass shade with intricate floral motifs. The ornate metal base complements the handcrafted glasswork, casting a w...
Bronze, Enamel
Mid Century Japanese Style Brass Floor Lamp, 1960s
Located in Praha, CZ
Original Mid Century floor lamp made in Czechoslovakia during the 1960s. The piece was informally referred to as “Japonka” because the shade profiles resemble traditional Japanese si...
Brass
19th century Primitive Painted Early American Floor Lamp
Located in Savannah, GA
Rare painted iron standing floor lamp made to burn oil but converted to electricity. Nice lines and detail with upturned feet, scroll work and finial at top. See measurements below.
Iron
19th Century French Marble and Gilt Bronze Fine Floor Lamp
Located in Dallas, TX
19th century French gilt bronze and marble floor lamp . Fine quality gilt bronze detail.
Marble
Diego Giacometti Style Bronze Floor Lamp
Located in Miami, FL
Diego Giacometti Style Bronze Floor lamp
Bronze
Antique Egyptian Revival Bronze Cloisonne Floor Lamp
Located in Fulton, CA
Unusual Egyptian Revival Japanese bronze floor lamp with cloisonne Egyptian figures. Measures 73 in to top of finial. Base measures 14 in diame...
Bronze
Floor Lamp Giacometti Style bronze artichoke France 1980
By Alberto and Diego Giacometti
Located in Paris, IDF
in the style of Giacometti Floor lamps in Bronze ( 175 cm / 689.9 Inches ) with a brown patina sculpted in Artichoke shape Anonymous artist France circa 1980 Theses lamps has been ...
Bronze
Maison Jansen Bronze Floor Lamp
Located in Miami, FL
2 patina bronze floor lamp by Maison Jansen. Bamboo shape 1 bulb 100W max Measures: Round base: 9" Wired for US and in working condition New paper shade.
Brass, Bronze
$923Sale Price|45% Off
H 44 in W 6 in D 6 in
Bronze 19th Century Archaic Meiji Period Japanese Table Lamp
Located in Lomita, CA
The attenuated silhouette of this late 19th century bronze table lamp turns heads. It is an antique Asian archaic style bronze. The intricate carving and the oxidized bronze color sp...
Bronze
$860 / item
H 59 in W 12.5 in D 12.5 in
White Space by Ango – Sculptural Silk Cocoon & Concrete Floor Lamp
By Ango
Located in Bangkok, TH
White Space by Ango is a refined sculptural floor lamp that pairs the delicacy of handcrafted natural silk cocoons with the quiet strength of a hand-cast concrete base...
Concrete, Stainless Steel
Casella Style Bronzed Swing Arm Pharmacy Floor Lamp
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Mid-century modern design pharmacy swing-arm floor lamp made in the manner and style of Casella Lighting San Francisco, CA. The lamp features a handsome bronzed or antiqued brass fin...
Metal, Iron
$3,141
H 59.5 in W 15.2 in D 15.2 in
W.A.S. Benson, Antique and Stylish Arts & Crafts Floor Lamp in Bronze circa 1880
By Was Benson
Located in Lisse, NL
Rare and clearly marked / patented floor lamp by William Arthur Smith Benson. This handcrafted and truly stylish antique is in excellent condition and its timeless design will make ...
Bronze
French Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze Floor Lamp
Located in Queens, NY
French Louis XVI-style (20th Century) gilt bronze floor lamp supported on a round base with a floral design shaft.
Ormolu
Pair of Maison Baguès style Bronze Floor Lamp
Located in Miami, FL
Maison Baguès style faux bamboo bronze tripod floor lamp. 54" H without shade. US wired and in working condition. This iconic Paris-based c...
Bronze
An Early 20th Century Meiji Period Red Crowned Crane Bronze Floor Lamp
Located in Forest Row, East Sussex
An early 20th Century Meiji period bronze floor lamp. Fine detailed Red Crowned Crane standing on a lily pad with a branch in it's beak, holding an original red lotus flower glass sh...
Bronze
Antique Pair of Japanese Bronze Cloisonné Floor Lamps with Elephants
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Impressive 19th century pair of Japanese floor lamps, once oil lamps, crafted in bronze with a dark lush patina and decorated with enamel in a champlevé technique in floral designs w...
Bronze
Sold
H 15 in W 10 in D 10 in
Fine Antique Japanese Andon Lamp 1880, Historical Treasure, Immediately Usable
Located in South Burlington, VT
Rare find. Historical treasure. This fine 140 year old Japanese Andon lamp wooden light fixture, would look wonderful in your interior and it is immediat...
Wood
Antique Bronze Elephant Floor Lamp
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Impressive antique Japanese champleve floor lamp, in the Orientalist manner, with an elegant form and a dark lush patina, decorated with stylized ...
Bronze
Sold
H 25.25 in W 12.5 in D 12.5 in
Fine Antique Japan Natural Lacquer Andon Floor Lamp, 1880 Immediately Usable
Located in South Burlington, VT
Rare find. Beautiful, historical treasure, attractive tall rectangular form. This fine 140 year old Japanese Andon lamp wooden light fixture, would look ...
Wood
Sold
H 30 in W 11 in D 10.5 in
Fine Antique Japan Red Lacquer Andon Floor Lamp 1880 Immediately Usable
Located in South Burlington, VT
Rare find. Beautiful, historical treasure. This fine 140 year old Japanese Andon lamp wooden light fixture, would look wonderful in your interior. And it i...
Wood
Sold
H 24.5 in W 10 in D 10 in
Fine Antique Japanese Red & Black Andon "Moon" Hand Lamp 1880 Immediately Usable
Located in South Burlington, VT
Rare find. Beautiful, historical treasure. This fine 140 year old Japanese Andon "Moon" lamp wooden light fixture would look wonderful in your interi...
Wood
Sold
H 24.5 in W 10 in L 24.5 in
Fine Antique Japanese Andon Lamp 1880, Historical Treasure, Immediately Usable
Located in South Burlington, VT
Rare find. Historical treasure. This fine 140 year old Japanese Andon lamp wooden light fixture, would look wonderful in your interior and it is immediat...
Wood
Sold
H 59.8 in Dm 11.4 in
Antique and Stylish Japanese Meiji Era Bronze Floor Lamp with Cloisonné Inlay
Located in Lisse, NL
Rare, handcrafted and clearly marked Japanese floor lamp. We have sold one large cloisonné floor lamp in the past and we have seen a few other la...
Bronze