While the artistic eclecticism of the 19th century encourages the copying of past styles, it also prompts European artists to turn towards the East
In the field of art glass, the enameler Philippe-Joseph Brocard was among the first to take an interest in this subject. In Paris, as early as the 1867 Universal Exhibition, he displayed blown glass objects decorated with Moorish and Persian enamel patterns, which were very well received, including mosque lamps that were sometimes simple copies of historical models noted in museums.
Similarly, manufacturers such as the Legras glassworks in La Plaine-Saint-Denis, as well as glass decorators like Auguste Jean, also produced vases decorated with Oriental motifs during this period.
During the World's Fairs of the second half of the 19th century, Europe also discovered Japanese art. François-Eugene Rousseau, a porcelain and crystal merchant in Paris, contributed from the 1860s to interpreting and spreading Japanese aesthetics in France. After publishing a porcelain set whose decoration was inspired by Japanese prints, he had a series of blown glass vases made by the Appert factory in Clichy in 1875-1878, characterized by blue droplets applied hot, with enameled and engraved decorations of Japan-inspired motifs carried out by his young collaborators, Eugene Michel and Alphonse-Georges Reyen. Ernest-Baptiste Léveillé, who succeeded Rousseau, also took part in the enthusiasm for Japonism.