A FINE CLOISONNÉ FOUR-PANEL TABLE SCREEN DEPICTING BIRDS AND FLOWERS Japan, early 20th century, Meiji period (1868-1912) The hinged gilt-metal panels finely worked in silver wire and bright enamels to depict five birds, three in flight and two perched on branches of blossoming leafy trees growing from a rocky outcrop above crashing waves, all against a black ground, the silver backs engraved in katakiri with flying cranes and Mount FujI. SIZE 18.4 x 32.7 cm WEIGHT 977 g Condition: Very good condition with some wear, the backs with light surface scratches. Provenance: The Strong National Museum of Play, accession number 76.2396 (lacquered to reverse of one panel). Margaret Woodbury Strong (1897-1969) grew up in a prosperous family of collectors. Her interests ranged so widely that by 1960 she had amassed more than 27,000 collectible items and works of art. The vast majority of her collections related in some way to play and as her accumulation grew, Margaret planned a museum to house her collection. It eventually opened to the public in 1982, and grew dramatically over the following decades, expanding its collections, facilities, and resources, now spanning over 285,000 square feet. Today, the Strong National Museum of Play (known as just The Strong Museum or simply The Strong) is the only collections-based museum in the world devoted solely to the study of play.