Hokkai-Bako Storage Box

Artists usually made round-footed lacquer storage boxes like this one in pairs. They traditionally bore the family crest (mon) of the person who commissioned them; however, by the 19th century, they were mostly created as collector’s items. The crest on the lid seen here—five bellflowers on top of a spiral—does not seem to match that of a particular family, and may have been used simply as a design element.