19th Jewelery Box Altar Box Japanese Temple Cabinet lacquer Black gilding Meiji

Small japanese temple cabinet in black lacquer with gilding. Decorated with birds and asian landscapes. This plant decoration is particularly common in japanese iconography, and symbolizes the arrival of spring. The cabinet contains 7 drawers: 2 central doors housing 4 drawers, 2 drawers below and 1 at the bottom. These drawers are all decorated with gilding. The handles, locks and angles are in copper. This small cabinet looks like a small wardrobe. The small cabinet is decorated in black and gold hiramaqui-e lacquer depicting birds in a plant and floral environment. The treatment of this decoration is of great finesse. Originally this cabinet is a secret cabinet or a cabinet with ancestor tablets. Wonderful piece of japanese culture history. Can be used as jewelry box, storage box. Very elegant and decorative. Nice japanese work. Late 19th - meiji era.