A fine quality Meiji period (1868-1912) Miyao bronze statue of a female muscian, having wonderful gilded high lights and mounted on a hardwood stand. Signed at the back on a plaque o...

Category

Antique 19th Century Japanese Sculptures and Carvings

Materials

Bronze

JAPAN Meiji Period 1880 Namiki Little Cabined Round Tray In Wood, Gold & Silver

$1,048Sale Price|25% Off

JAPAN Meiji Period 1880 Namiki Little Cabined Round Tray In Wood, Gold & Silver

Located in Miami, FL

A Namiki little round cabinet tray from the Meiji period. This is an amazing and very decorative presentation round cabinet tray created in the Imperial Japan period during the earl...

Category

Antique 1880s Japanese Meiji Sculptures and Carvings

Materials

Materials

Wood

Large Antique Japanese Bronze Eagle Root Wood Base Meiji Period Signed Gyoko 36"

Unavailable

H 36 in W 23 in D 17 in

Large Antique Japanese Bronze Eagle Root Wood Base Meiji Period Signed Gyoko 36"

By Gyoko

Located in London, GB

Japanese bronze Eagle modelled with its wings outstretched and head lowered, All the feather work is finely carved with rich brown patination, perched on a root wood base signed in ...

Category

Antique 1890s Japanese Meiji Sculptures and Carvings

Materials

Bronze

Buddha - A very large bronze figure of Sho Kannon. Japan, Meiji period 1868-1912

Unavailable

Unavailable

Sold

Sold

H 6 in W 4.5 in D 4 in

Fine Antique Japanese Bronze Rabbit Usagi, Meiji Period, 1868-1912

Located in South Burlington, VT

Fine antique Japanese bronze rabbit usagi, Meiji period, 1868-1912 Here's another beautiful and unique way to accent your indoor display space with this fine old and unusual treas...

Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Meiji Sculptures and Carvings

Materials

Materials

Hardwood

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Japanese Meiji Carving For Sale on 1stDibs

With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the Japanese meiji carving you’re looking for. A Japanese meiji carving — often made from metal, wood and bronze — can elevate any home. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer Japanese meiji carving, there are earlier versions available from the 19th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 20th Century. A Japanese meiji carving is a generally popular piece of furniture, but those created in styles are sought with frequency. You’ll likely find more than one Japanese meiji carving that is appealing in its simplicity, but Ippo, Japanese School and Nihon Tokyo Udagawa produced versions that are worth a look.

How Much is a Japanese Meiji Carving?

The average selling price for a Japanese meiji carving at 1stDibs is $1,248, while they’re typically $95 on the low end and $44,911 for the highest priced.

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.

Finding the Right Sculptures-carvings for You

Asian sculptors have worked in materials including wood, bronze and jade. Artists and artisans have used traditional techniques to depict deities, scenes from culture and more, and today, antique Asian sculptures and carvings are a popular choice for provocative and sophisticated home decor.

In China, the Qing dynasty, from the mid-17th century to the early 20th century, brought about significant changes in art while preserving traditional culture. Many emperors during this period were patrons of the arts, such as painting, calligraphy and decorative arts. This era saw the building of new Buddhist temples, which were decorated with statues. Some of these sculptures were adorned with colorful cloisonné decoration, in which tiny compartments, or cloisons, made by soldering copper filaments to a metal surface were filled with vibrantly hued enamel.

From the 17th to mid-19th century in Japan, kimonos were worn across classes and often fastened with a netsuke, a type of small carved toggle. Artists carved these from ivory, wood, shells and coral, creating animals, flowers and mythical creatures. During the Japanese Meiji period, spanning from 1868–1912, the country began trading internationally after centuries of isolation, allowing artists to sell their work overseas. Bronze sculpture flourished around this time for creating teapots, vases and incense burners.

Asian sculpture continued to evolve in the 20th century. During the Japanese Shōwa era, from 1926–89, art was influenced by international modernist movements like abstraction, Futurism and Surrealism. Contemporary Asian sculptures and carvings continue to combine global influences and a rich heritage of technique.

Decorating a space with Asian sculptures and carvings is a great way to add interest to any corner of your home. Explore by material, period or style on 1stDibs.