Geese and bamboo symbolize autumn, with Mount Fuji looming in the background. The seasons are very important in Japanese art and have their own symbols and motifs of nature. Mount Fuji has been revered in Japan throughout history and is represented in art, especially of the Edo and Meiji periods. Lacquer is also an important form of art in Japan. Portugese traders in the 16th century, followed by the Dutch in 17th and 18th centuries, took Japanese lacquer items for trade to Europe, leading to popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries where Japanese and Chinese lacquer styles are found in furniture and other decorative European arts.

Gift of Dan McLawhorn, Class of 1970, and Robert J. Hazelgrove, Jr.