Anglo-Japanese style
Encyclopedia
Anglo-Japanese is a term used to describe a style which developed in the period from approximately 1851 to 1900, when a new awareness of, and appreciation for Japanese design and culture affected the art, especially the decorative art, and architecture of England. The first use of the term occurs in 1851. The wider interest in Eastern or Oriental design and culture is regarded as a characteristic of the Aesthetic Movement during in the same period.
Contrary to popular opinion an early interest in Japanese art and decoration existed in England at an early, if not earlier, date than in France. The Museum of Ornamental Art (later the Victorian and Albert Museum) attached to the Government School of Design, bought Japanese lacquer and porcelain in 1852, and again in 1854 with the purchase of 37 items from the exhibition at the Old Water-Colour Society, London. Japanese Art was exhibited at London 1851, Dublin in 1853; Edinburgh 1856 and 1857; Manchester in 1857, and Bristol in 1861. The 1862 International Exhibition in London had a Japanese display which has been considered 'one of the most influential events in the history of Japanese art in the West.' Widar Halen. Christopher Dresser. 1990, p.34
Some opinion has considered Fine Art to have more importance than Decorative Art and therefore attention has previously centred on the influence in the 1860s of the painter James Abbott McNeill Whistler who introduced the Pre-Raphaelite painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti
to Japanese art, thus establishing a veritable cult of Japan within this Bohemian circle. It is quite clear however that serious scholarly interest was firmly established in the decorative arts in England at an earlier date. By the 1880s the style had become a major influence on the art and decoration of the time, leaving its mark on Whistler's paintings and designs (principally Peacock Room).
The style developed in advance of the British Arts and Crafts Movement
( The Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society was formed as late as 1887), but both are best regarded as branches from the mainstream Aesthetic Movement
.
In the design of furniture the most common and characteristic features are simple rectilinear structure, minimal decoration, often limited to incised and gilt lines or motifs such as 'mons', and most particularly an ebonized finish (or even ebony) echoing the well known 'japanned' finish. Halen (p.69) proposes an ebonized chair exhibited at the 1862 International Exhibition by A.F. Bornemann & Co of Bath, and described (and possibly designed) by Dresser as the quaint and unique Japanese character, to be the first documented piece of furniture in the Anglo-Japanese style. The types of furniture required in England such as wardrobes, sideboards and even dining-tables and easy-chairs did not have a Japanese precedent therefore Japanese principles and motifs had to be adapted to existing types in order to meet English requirements.
In much the same way as with Anglo-Japanese furniture, early examples of Japanese influence and inspiration in ceramics were noted by Dresser in his reviews of the International Exhibition, London 1862, where he remarked on Minton's 'vases enriched with Chinese or Japanese ornament'.Halen. p.119
In the early 1870's the Watcombe pottery in Devon produced unglazed terracotta wares, some of which rely entirely on Japanese forms and the natural colour of the clay for their ornamental effect. Japanese inspired porcelains by the Worcester factory at a similar date were much admired by the Japanese themselves. The pottery produced at the Linthorpe factory founded in 1879 closely followed Japanese examples in simple forms and especially in rich glaze effects quite revolutionary in the English market.
In commercial mass-produced table wares the style was most represented by transfer prints depicting Japanese botanical or animal motifs such as bamboos,and birds; scenes of Japan or Japanese objects such as fans. Often these were placed in a novel asymmetrical fashion in defiance of Western tradition.
Glass ware was also influenced by Japanese art and the 'Frog decanter' exhibited by Thomas Webb at the International Exhibition in Paris 1867 is in its subject, simplicity and asymmetry the earliest example of Japanese influence on English glass identified to date.
The style anticipated the minimalism of twentieth century Modernism. British designers working in this style include Christopher Dresser
; Edward William Godwin
; James Lamb,furniture manufacturer; and perhaps Philip Webb
; and the decorative arts wall painting of James Abbott McNeill Whistler. In the United States some of the glass and silverwork by Louis Comfort Tiffany
, textiles and wallpaper by Candace Wheeler
, and the furniture of Nimura and Sato
and the Herter Brothers
(particularly that produced after 1870) shows influence of the Anglo-Japanese style.
Oscar Wilde
's contribution, when it is remembered that he was a writer and not a designer, was in reporting and commenting upon the progress of the style, referring to "the influence which Eastern art is having on us in Europe, and the fascination of all Japanese work" in a lecture he gave in the United States in 1882 (The English Renaissance of Art).
Contrary to popular opinion an early interest in Japanese art and decoration existed in England at an early, if not earlier, date than in France. The Museum of Ornamental Art (later the Victorian and Albert Museum) attached to the Government School of Design, bought Japanese lacquer and porcelain in 1852, and again in 1854 with the purchase of 37 items from the exhibition at the Old Water-Colour Society, London. Japanese Art was exhibited at London 1851, Dublin in 1853; Edinburgh 1856 and 1857; Manchester in 1857, and Bristol in 1861. The 1862 International Exhibition in London had a Japanese display which has been considered 'one of the most influential events in the history of Japanese art in the West.' Widar Halen. Christopher Dresser. 1990, p.34
Some opinion has considered Fine Art to have more importance than Decorative Art and therefore attention has previously centred on the influence in the 1860s of the painter James Abbott McNeill Whistler who introduced the Pre-Raphaelite painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, and was later to be the main inspiration for a second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement,...
to Japanese art, thus establishing a veritable cult of Japan within this Bohemian circle. It is quite clear however that serious scholarly interest was firmly established in the decorative arts in England at an earlier date. By the 1880s the style had become a major influence on the art and decoration of the time, leaving its mark on Whistler's paintings and designs (principally Peacock Room).
The style developed in advance of the British Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
( The Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society was formed as late as 1887), but both are best regarded as branches from the mainstream Aesthetic Movement
Aestheticism
Aestheticism was a 19th century European art movement that emphasized aesthetic values more than socio-political themes for literature, fine art, the decorative arts, and interior design...
.
In the design of furniture the most common and characteristic features are simple rectilinear structure, minimal decoration, often limited to incised and gilt lines or motifs such as 'mons', and most particularly an ebonized finish (or even ebony) echoing the well known 'japanned' finish. Halen (p.69) proposes an ebonized chair exhibited at the 1862 International Exhibition by A.F. Bornemann & Co of Bath, and described (and possibly designed) by Dresser as the quaint and unique Japanese character, to be the first documented piece of furniture in the Anglo-Japanese style. The types of furniture required in England such as wardrobes, sideboards and even dining-tables and easy-chairs did not have a Japanese precedent therefore Japanese principles and motifs had to be adapted to existing types in order to meet English requirements.
In much the same way as with Anglo-Japanese furniture, early examples of Japanese influence and inspiration in ceramics were noted by Dresser in his reviews of the International Exhibition, London 1862, where he remarked on Minton's 'vases enriched with Chinese or Japanese ornament'.Halen. p.119
In the early 1870's the Watcombe pottery in Devon produced unglazed terracotta wares, some of which rely entirely on Japanese forms and the natural colour of the clay for their ornamental effect. Japanese inspired porcelains by the Worcester factory at a similar date were much admired by the Japanese themselves. The pottery produced at the Linthorpe factory founded in 1879 closely followed Japanese examples in simple forms and especially in rich glaze effects quite revolutionary in the English market.
In commercial mass-produced table wares the style was most represented by transfer prints depicting Japanese botanical or animal motifs such as bamboos,and birds; scenes of Japan or Japanese objects such as fans. Often these were placed in a novel asymmetrical fashion in defiance of Western tradition.
Glass ware was also influenced by Japanese art and the 'Frog decanter' exhibited by Thomas Webb at the International Exhibition in Paris 1867 is in its subject, simplicity and asymmetry the earliest example of Japanese influence on English glass identified to date.
The style anticipated the minimalism of twentieth century Modernism. British designers working in this style include Christopher Dresser
Christopher Dresser
Christopher Dresser was an English designer and design theorist, now widely known as one of the first and most important, independent, designers and was a pivotal figure in the Aesthetic Movement, and a major contributor to the allied Anglo-Japanese branch of the Movement; both originated in...
; Edward William Godwin
Edward William Godwin
Edward William Godwin was a progressive English architect-designer, who began his career working in the strongly polychromatic "Ruskinian Gothic" style of mid-Victorian Britain, inspired by The Stones of Venice, then moved on to provide designs in the "Anglo-Japanese taste" of the Aesthetic...
; James Lamb,furniture manufacturer; and perhaps Philip Webb
Philip Webb
Another Philip Webb — Philip Edward Webb was the architect son of leading architect Sir Aston Webb. Along with his brother, Maurice, he assisted his father towards the end of his career....
; and the decorative arts wall painting of James Abbott McNeill Whistler. In the United States some of the glass and silverwork by Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
, textiles and wallpaper by Candace Wheeler
Candace Wheeler
Candace Wheeler , often credited as the "mother" of interior design, was one of America's first woman interior and textile designers. She is famous for helping to open the field of interior design to women, making decorative art affordable, and for encouraging a new style of American design...
, and the furniture of Nimura and Sato
Nimura and Sato
Nimura and Sato was an American furniture manufacturer best known for its Japanese inspired occasional furniture. It was located at 707 Fulton Street in downtown Brooklyn, New York...
and the Herter Brothers
Herter Brothers
The firm of Herter Brothers, New York, , founded by Gustave and Christian Herter , begun as an upholstery warehouse, became one of the first firms of furniture makers and interior decorators in the United States after the Civil War...
(particularly that produced after 1870) shows influence of the Anglo-Japanese style.
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's contribution, when it is remembered that he was a writer and not a designer, was in reporting and commenting upon the progress of the style, referring to "the influence which Eastern art is having on us in Europe, and the fascination of all Japanese work" in a lecture he gave in the United States in 1882 (The English Renaissance of Art).