Definition: the use of Asian motifs (pagodas, dragons, fans, bamboo trees, figures garbed in Eastern dress), either a) in designs painted or lacquered on the surface of a piece of furniture or on its upholstery or b) as design elements of the piece itself - as in lattice-like fretwork, elephant-trunk legs, pagoda-roof-like chair backs; while the name suggests Chinese style in particular, the motifs often reflect Japanese, Indian or other Asian influences - or a Westernized hybrid, given European furniture-makers' lack of skill in, or familiarity with, actual Chinese methods and motifs; developed during the second half of the 17th century (paralleling the rise of European trade with Asian nations), and flourished throughout the 18th and into the early 19th
Note: The term "chinoiserie" usually applies to furniture and objects of this period, though Asian influences and motifs regularly reappear in European and American pieces throughout the 19th and 20th centuries as well.
Pronunciation: sheen-was-er-ree
Associated with designers: Thomas Chippendale, George Smith, Thomas Tatham
Example: The chinoiserie on the 1755 Chippendale cabinet consisted of charming (even if historically inaccurate) painted scenes of Chinese peasant life.