Crane and Turtle Box
maker
Unknown
Date1894
Place MadeJapan, East Asia
MediumSilver with gold and lacquer
Dimensions10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.) high
ClassificationsBoxes
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberM18e44.a-b
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryThis crane and turtle box was designed and produced to be given to guests at the imperial banquet for the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary of the Meiji Emperor and Empress in 1894. Often referred to by the French term “bonbonnière,” the box is decorated with a crane and two turtles (minogame), historic motifs that convey messages of auspiciousness and longevity across East Asia. Aside from two others in private collections, all examples of this bonbonnière are in the collection of the Japanese Imperial Household. Kojiro Tomita (1890-1976), Isabella’s friend and a curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, gave this box to Isabella sometime around the year 1909. Isabella displayed it in the Little Salon along with other objects commemorating her friendships.
Id728389
Last Updated8/15/24
Previous Number505
Previous NumberM18e44
EmbARK ObjectID14218
Source ID3033
