Chinois

Chinoiserie.....Fanciful European interpretations of Chinese styles in the design of interiors, furniture, pottery, textiles, and gardens. The expansion of trade with East Asia produced a lively vogue for Chinese fashions in the 17th–18th centuries. The most outstanding chinoiserie interior was the Trianon de Porcelaine (1670–71), built for Louis XIV at Versailles. The style featured lavish gilding and lacquering, the use of blue and white (as in delftware), asymmetrical forms, unorthodox perspective, and Asian motifs. In the 19th century, the fashion gave way to Turkish and other styles considered exotic.  See the illustration below!  

My personal favorite of all the decorative arts with the mantra..."anything chinoiserie"!  If you don't believe it stop by the cottage.  Most folks think of it as simply Asian, but as Webster states above, it was the European fascination with China that produced this stylish interpretation.

My personal obsession has gotten so bad that it is now taking over the office.  The Napoleon III key case below now hangs beside my desk at the office...along with many other cherished chinois items including a miniature Bombe chest that I had custom painted a la chinois.  Da hubby forbid me to bring it home, and he hardly ever does that!

In any case, I must have been a Chinese loving Frenchman in a former life.  Long live chinois!

xx.DT