This American center table, made of rosewood, is a fine example of the Japonisme movement, the influence of Japanese art, fashion and aesthetics on Western culture. In Paris, this influence exploded at the 1867 Exposition Universelle, where Japan’s national pavilion, filled with not only significant examples of Meiji era art, furniture and objects but also the distinctive Japanese aesthetic. This fashioned spread to America, and was enthusiastically adopted by the leading designers and furniture makers in New York. Foremost among these firms was Kimball and Cabus, who, along with Herter Brothers, created the finest pieces in the Japanese taste.
Kimball and Cabus was a Victorian-era furniture and decorative arts firm based in New York City. The partnership was formed in 1862 between German-born cabinetmaker Anthony Kimbel and French-born cabinetmaker Joseph Cabus. The company was noted for its Modern Gothic and Anglo-Japanese style furniture, which it popularized at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. They contributed to the decoration of the new House of Representatives Chamber at the US Capitol, the Seventh Regiment Armory and the Villard house in New York City.
