Style Japonism, Chinoiserie / Ref.10532

DAÏ NIPPON, Japanese-style cabinet with mother-of-pearl marquetry

Founded in 1889, Daï Nippon, a Parisian manufacturer of Sino-Japanese style furniture, was located at 3 and 5 Boulevard des Capucines. The company created exquisitely refined pieces using materials directly imported from Asia (bamboo, mother-of-pearl, Chinese lacquer, exotic woods) to suit European tastes. Specializing in works of art and furniture from the Far East, the company had purchasing offices in Shanghai, Canton, Hong Kong, Yokohama, Kobe, and Nagasaki. Resting on a base featuring a lotus flower at its center and lion's paw feet at the ends, this cabinet boasts exceptional mother-of-pearl marquetry decoration, directly imported from Asia. The doors depict highly detailed battle scenes with horsemen and soldiers in a picturesque miniature landscape. The sides of the cabinet feature flowers and butterflies in a striking naturalistic style. The finely chiseled bronze hinges feature elaborate motifs blending vegetal scrolls, Japanese-style dragons, and highly creative chimeric monsters. At the center, an exceptional openwork bronze depicts winged hybrid beings, and at the center, a keyhole cover in the shape of a Foo lion's head (a guardian lion in Chinese tradition). The piece is topped with a griotte red marble slab. Following in the footsteps of interior designers such as Perret & Vibert and Gabriel Viardot, Daï Nippon created superb interpretations of the Japonisme style, adapted to the French market. This piece of furniture can be dated to around 1890.