The story about Shodana cabinets made in Japan during the Meiji era* for export to Europe is divided into 2 parts. These pieces of furniture are of extraordinary beauty and contain a large number of details that are interesting to examine in detail.

The first part of the video focuses on the phenomenon of Orientalism. For many centuries, European culture turned to the East - watched, admired, looked back and copied. Sometimes this hobby poured out into works of art created under some general impressions of the East, poured out into oriental fantasies that form an imaginary and idealized world of the East, but often it was associated with the imitation of the art of a particular region or period in the development of the art of a particular country. The fashion for decorative arts, furniture, fabrics and even some habits from the oriental style appeared in the life of Europeans as early as the 18th century and continued throughout the 19^th-20th centuries.

Our new Museum Story narrates about the traditional arts and crafts of Japan, in particular - the art of applying Japanese traditional Urushi varnish, the unique Shibayama technique that was implemented in ornamenting the cabinets from our museum, as well as enjoy exquisite pieces of furniture art.

* The Meiji era (1868 - 1912) is a unique historical period of profound reforms and changes, when in a very short period a closed-off feudal country emerged from self-isolation and became a major world power. The name of the era was given by the motto of the Emperor Mutsuhito reign (nengo) - "Meiji", which means "enlightened rule" (mei 明 = light, knowledge; ji 治 = rule).