Description A LACQUERED WOOD YATATE WITH CRANE, MEIJIJapan, 19th century, Meiji Period (1868-1912). The yatate lacquered in black, decorated in takamaki-e to the cover of the sumitsubo (inkwell) with a crane in flight, and a tree on the fudezutsu (brush holder), all above a rough ground. With a small brass bell in form of a chrysanthemum.Condition: Good condition, some wear, the takamaki-e with losses, the cover somewhat jammed. Provenance: The Strong National Museum of Play, accession number 78.1486 (lacquered to the base of the inkwell). 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.Weight: 35 gDimensions: Length 18.7 cm