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Description
Lacquer Box Japanese manufacture, mid-19th century 5" x 16 ¼" x 12 ½" Black lacquered wooden Masonic keepsake box. Decorated with mother of pearl inlayed Masonic symbols: eye, altar, beehive, hourglass, compasses, square, clasped hands, and trowel. Floral decoration around sides. Gift of Carol Hansen "Direct American trade with Japan dates from 1797-1801 when several American ships were chartered by the Dutch East India Company to fulfill their trade agreement with Japan allowing one Dutch ship a year. Americans were able to resume direct contact after Commodore Perry's negotiations and the opening of Japan to American trade in 1854. Japanese goods, however, reached England and America continuously through trade with the Dutch." -- Masonic Symbols in American Decorative Arts (National Heritage Museum, 1975)
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