Japanese Lacquered Mother-of-Pearl Inlaid Cabinet on Stand

1. Historical Style & Period

• Item Name / Nomenclature: Japanese Lacquered & Mother-of-Pearl Inlaid Cabinet on Stand (commonly referred to as a Raden & Shibayama Style Table Cabinet or Export Cabinet on Stand).

• Era: Late Meiji to Early Taishō Period (circa 1890s–1920s).

• Style: Japanese Export Lacquerware / Japonisme Revival. Designed during Japan's opening to Western trade, these pieces adapted traditional Japanese lacquer decorative arts to European domestic storage needs (such as cabinets mounted onto custom European-style ebonized stands).

• Function: Jewelry & Collector's Cabinet (Kuro-Urushi Cabinet). The outer doors enclose a private nest of small drawers used to store personal accessories, documents, or small heirlooms.

2. Key Architectural & Decorative Features

• Raden Inlay (Abalone & Mother-of-Pearl): The exterior panels and roundels are inlaid with shimmering abalone (raden) and nacre shell carved into delicate floral and botanical motifs.

• Parcel-Gilt & Black Urushi Finish: Finished in rich black urushi lacquer (kuro-urushi) with gilded painted borders (maki-e) framing the door and drawer panels.

• Fitted Internal Drawers: Behind the main double doors sits a traditional multi-drawer interior arrangement (eight fitted drawers) above a full-width lower exterior drawer for versatile organized storage.

• Engraved Ornamental Metalwork: Fitted with ornate silvered or brass lock plates (hikite), corner braces, and leaf hinges with intricate floral engraving.

• Ebonized Support Stand: Mounted on a complementary custom ebonized wooden base with turned legs, elevating the cabinet to eye level while preserving its traditional aesthetic.