A Set of Japanese Lacquer Hanging Shelves

A set of late nineteenth century Japanese hanging shelves, the graduated frame in the form of four fans with shelves for the display of objects and decorated throughout with pagodas, lakes and trees.

This set of hanging shelves was made at the end of the nineteenth century – the Meiji Period (1868 – 1912). It was during this period that Japanese society moved forward from its isolated feudal structure to its modern form. These fundamental changes not only affected its social structure, but also the country’s economy, internal politics, and relations with foreign nations.

Transitions in art do not coincide easily with political change. In Japan, the sudden political and social changes of the Meiji period were, like it’s art, a continuation of the transition which began in the Edo Period (1603 – 1868). Although the art of the Edo period developed in relative isolation from the West, this does not mean that Japanese art contained no elements deriving from external sources. In this case, the form of these shelves, while stylistically Japanese, takes functional inspiration from European furniture design. Indeed they would have been made for the export market.