JAPAN
Box (fubako) and address
1922Paper, brocade, wood, gold lacquer, silk | 7.5 x 36.0 x 10.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 69623
Scroll boxes were used in Japan from the sixteenth century to present important letters and addresses. The painstaking decoration reflects the significance of the documents inside. Here, the artist has departed from traditional Japanese motifs by adding Prince of Wales’s feathers to mark a British royal visit. No other scroll box with this design is known to exist.