Asian-Inspired Interiors: Mid-Century American Decorative Arts
August 6 – September 23, 2026 | South Gallery
BE INSPIRED!
During the mid-20th century, Asian-inspired furnishings became increasingly popular in American homes. Through import shops, department stores, and furniture retailers, families incorporated decorative screens, lamps, paintings, ceramics, and textiles that reflected an appreciation for Asian artistic traditions.
The objects in this collection illustrate how global design influences became part of everyday home interiors. While many of these pieces were created for the American market rather than collected directly abroad, they reveal the era’s fascination with craftsmanship, rich color, elegant forms, and imagery inspired by Asian landscapes, figures, and decorative motifs.
These diverse pieces were collected by Evelyn Scarborough Linebery as she made extensive renovations to the two-story Scarborough House in the 1940’s -1960’s. Her taste evolved over time to include an Asian-inspired sitting room on the second-floor servicing three-bedroom suites for family and visitors. Her taste was eclectic, but her eye was for the finest examples of pieces she purchased and came to love. Paintings, screens, figurines, vases, lamps, ceramics, and hand-made textiles were all selected with her discerning eye.
Asian-Inspired Portrait of a Woman
Artist unknown
Mid-20th century
Decorative painting, medium unknown
This painting reflects the popularity of Asian-inspired design in American homes during the 1950s and 1960s. The woman's richly colored clothing and the decorative patterns show how artists and designers borrowed ideas from Asian artistic traditions.
Purchased for their home, the painting was likely acquired through a department store, import shop, or home furnishings retailer. Although the artist and place of manufacture are unknown, it represents a time when Asian-inspired paintings, screens, lamps, ceramics, and textiles became fashionable features of American interiors.
Chinese Export Porcelain Vase
China, 20th century
Porcelain with painted decoration
This vase reflects the enduring popularity of Chinese porcelain among international collectors. The decorative imagery draws upon traditional Chinese themes, using color, pattern, and symbolism to create an object intended for both appreciation and display.
Collected during the 20th century, this piece represents the era's fascination with Asian craftsmanship and decorative arts.
Cloisonné Vase with Elephant Handles
China, 20th century
Enamel, metal, and brass elements
Cloisonné is a decorative technique in which thin metal wires are used to create compartments filled with colorful enamel. After repeated firing and polishing, the surface becomes a richly patterned work of art.
The elephant-form handles on this vase add symbolic meaning. In Chinese and broader Asian artistic traditions, elephants may represent strength, wisdom, stability, and good fortune.
Collected as part of the decorative furnishings of this home, this vase illustrates the appeal of Asian craftsmanship to mid-20th-century American collectors, who often valued objects for both their beauty and their symbolic associations.
