Combining naturalistically rendered flowers with a plain ground was one of the most distinctive innovations of the late Meiji period, when lacquer artists began incorporating elements of western realism into their work. Detailed silver and gold sprays of peony and hibiscus appear here in high relief lacquer (takamakie), standing out dramatically as though lit from behind. The blooms extend over the edges of the box, giving the impression that they are observed at close quarters. The gold ground is by contrast remarkable for its evenness. It is an outstanding example of a kinji ground, created by densely sprinkling fine gold powder and polishing it to a bright finish. This style was particularly associated with Akatsuka Jitoku and his contemporaries.

The box was a gift to George, Prince of Wales from one of the leading Japanese naval officers of the Meiji period, Admiral Yamamoto (1852–1933), who would later serve twice as Prime Minister of Japan (1913–14 and 1923–4). In 1907, Yamamoto came to England ahead of the visit of Prince Fushimi Sadanaru, who had been sent to express the Emperor Meiji’s gratitude for the Order of the Garter, received the previous year. Yamamoto’s duties included negotiating military agreements relating to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, which had been renewed in 1905. During his visit, he viewed a military Field Day at Aldershot with King Edward VII. Yamamoto later wrote to express his thanks for the ‘kindness and attention shown him’, remarking ‘how greatly he admired the King’s activity; that the King was an older man than [the] Emperor, but that his activity both of mind & of body had greatly impressed both Prince Fushimi & himself’.

Text adapted from Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen: Volume III and Japan: Courts and Culture (2020)