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Box

Box
Wooden box, Japan, date unknown

Made of wood, this Japanese box is painted and covered in shiny lacquer (a kind of varnish). Its lid is decorated with flowers, leaves and a bird. Boxes like this were made in large numbers for people to keep their treasures in: trinkets, jewellery, or any other private items they wanted to keep safe.

Did you know?

Sap from the lacquer tree of Asia makes a coating that dries hard and shiny.

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