Heyday of Japonisme revisited at SFO Museum

Footed dish, 1880. Dominick & Haff, New York, sterling silver, mixed metal. Private collection, RT19. L2022.0403.016

 

Footed dish, 1880. Dominick & Haff, New York, sterling silver, mixed metal. Private collection, RT19. L2022.0403.016

Footed dish, 1880. Dominick & Haff, New York, sterling silver, mixed metal. Private collection, RT19. L2022.0403.016

SAN FRANCISCO — Japonisme: A Passion for Japan, on view at the SFO Museum until April 2, 2023, features Japanese decorative arts made in the United States and Europe from the 1870s-1890s, all of which reflect an early and remarkable example of international cultural exchange between Japan and the West.

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Architectural wrought iron: shapely decorative accents

Edgar Brandt’s Paon wrought-iron fireplace screen achieved €34,000 ($35,598) plus the buyer’s premium in May 2022. Image courtesy of Quittenbaum Kunstauktionen GmbH and LiveAuctioneers
Edgar Brandt’s Paon wrought-iron fireplace screen achieved €34,000 ($35,598) plus the buyer’s premium in May 2022. Image courtesy of Quittenbaum Kunstauktionen GmbH and LiveAuctioneers

NEW YORK – Hand-wrought iron farmyard and kitchen tools, worked by blacksmiths over fiery forges, were unadorned until the early 1800s. As the craft evolved, however, wooden cupboards, dowry chests, sideboards and wardrobes were secured with increasingly ornate iron hinges, keys and locks. Realizing that the functional can also be beautiful, blacksmiths ran with the notion, producing all sorts of decorative wonders from wrought iron.

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