Object Notes

Plique à jour, the cloisonné technique seen here, is made by the removal of the metal body with acid after firing so that the enamel and wires support themselves. Because the breakage rate was extremely high, many pieces were originally sold with small cracks.

The arts of Japan during the last half of the 19th century experienced a momentous change when nearly two hundred fifty years of isolation from Western influences ended with the arrival of U.S. Admiral Perry in 1853.

Metal ornaments like this mythic dragon decorated the tops of poles carried in religious processions. Although made for Muslim festivals, the dragon is an age-old figure in North Asian art.