Box
Probably designed to hold tea ceremony utensils, this rectangular box (chabako) is densely decorated with a rich pattern of ferns and butterflies. The butterflies are executed in the gold and silver technique known as hiramaki-e ("flat sprinkled picture") as well as in fine mother-of-pearl inlay. They appear in different sizes, shapes, and wing patterns, while the ferns take the form of an arabesque foliage pattern. Colorful butterflies appear in Moore’s designs, including the round silver tray made about 1879–80 on view nearby.
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