- Stacking cabinet
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Stacking cabinet
- Place of origin:
Japan (made)
- Date:
1850-1867 (made)
- Materials and Techniques:
Wood, covered with black lacquer, with gold hiramaki-e, togidashi-e and takamaki-e lacquer decoration
- Museum number:
875 to J-1869
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 125d, case 3
Object Type
This stacking cabinet is a variation on a cabinet for the incense game. It contains small boxes within boxes to hold incense woods, and an outer tray in the form of a table with legs.
Time
The opening up of Japan in the mid-1850s after more than two centuries of seclusion from the rest of the world triggered a huge interest in Japanese art and design. Western collectors, artists and designers particularly admired lacquer, for which they had no equivalent. But while they appreciated such objects for their craftsmanship and design, they would not have understood their original function.
Historical Associations
This stacking cabinet was one of a group of objects displayed by the Japanese at the Paris Exhibition of 1867. This and subsequent international exhibitions were largely responsible for introducing Japanese art to the Western public. Lacquerwork formed a central part of the Japanese displays at these exhibitions. Some examples were old, but the majority, like this piece, were new or nearly new. The V&A acquired 20 items of Japanese lacquerwork from the Paris Exhibition.
