The rare and important table encapsulates the fashion for the ‘le style japonais et chinois’ which swept Paris in the mid-19th century and was inspired by Empress Eugénie’s Musée chinoisat the Château de Fontainebleau and the opening of trade with Japan. This occasioned a revival of the study of the art and culture of the Far East, which itself was greatly advanced by Japan’s participation in the World’s Fairs, or Great Exhibitions of Art and Industry, which for the first time presented for public consumption a dazzling array of Asian artworks. and techniques including cloisonné enamel, marquetry of shell and ivory, carved wood and patinated bronze. Western artists created their own works by adopting and reinterpreting this newfound source of inspiration. The ensuing style, an amalgamation of Eastern and Western influences was coined ‘Japonisme’ and went on to inspire the organic forms of Art Nouveau and Aestheticism.
Adrian Alan Ltd. of London will present this table at TEFAF. With an extraordinary selection of antiques gathered by 242 leading global dealers The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) – normally held in March – runs at Maastricht in The Netherlands from June 25-30. Collectors, specialists and curators can experience 7000 years of art history at a fair which offers everything from Greek statues to the best of contemporary art and design.
