Anglo-Japanese style is a British design style of the later nineteenth century that combined the influence of Japanese art and craftsmanship with Western furniture forms, ceramics, metalwork and textiles. It was closely linked with the Aesthetic Movement and flourished from the 1860s to the 1880s.
Interest in Japan grew rapidly after the country opened to Western trade in the 1850s, and the display of Japanese objects at the London International Exhibition of 1862 made a strong impression on designers. E. W. Godwin created influential ebonised furniture with slender, rectilinear frames, open structures and minimal ornament inspired by Japanese architecture. Christopher Dresser, who visited Japan, designed metalwork, ceramics and glass with Japanese forms and motifs. Characteristic features include ebonised or black lacquered surfaces, fretwork, asymmetrical arrangements, stylised flowers, bamboo imitation, fans, cranes and gilded incised decoration. Manufacturers such as William Watt and Collinson and Lock produced Anglo-Japanese furniture, while ceramic factories applied Japanese-inspired patterns to tableware and tiles. Collectors look for strong design, quality of construction and attribution to known designers or manufacturers. The style's lightness and restraint make it particularly appealing in modern interiors.
