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JAPAN
Cabinet with shelves (shodana)
1850-97Wood, black and gold lacquer, silver fittings inlaid with gold | 70.6 x 75.5 x 31.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 26044
Early diplomatic relations were strengthened by the exchange of presents on important royal occasions. This gift for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee represents the changing seasons – summertime iris, morning glory and lilies appear beside autumn maple leaves and chrysanthemums. This combination evokes Buddhist and Shintō ideas about nature’s cyclical rhythm.
