Japanese culture with its unique monuments of architecture, sculpture, painting, small forms, decorative and applied arts, occupies a special place in the development of world art. Influenced by China, Japanese masters created their own unique style based on the aesthetics of contemplation and spiritual harmony of man and nature. In the context of "Japan's inspiration" the work refers to the influence of the art of the Land of the Rising Sun on American decorative arts and, in particular, on the silver jewelry industry in trends of a new aesthetic direction of the last third of the XIXth century, the "Aesthetic movement". The article provides a brief overview of the history of the emergence and development of decorative silver art in the United States. The important centers of silversmithing in the USA and the most important American manufacturers of the XIXth century are described in more detail. The article also touches on the influence of Japanese aesthetic ideas on European creative groups and on the formation of innovative ideas in European decorative arts. At the same time, an attempt is made to trace the origin, development trends, evolution and variations of "Japanesque" style in American decorative and applied art, in particular, in the works of Edward Moore and Charles Osborne (Tiffany & Co jewelry multinational company).
RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE DECORATIVE ARTS DEPARTMENT
