MITSUKOSHI: A RARE STERLING SILVER KONPEITO BONBONNIÈRE BEARING THE IMPERIAL KIKUMON By Mitsukoshi, signed Mitsukoshi sei jungin Japan, late Meiji (1868-1912) to Taisho period (1912-1926) Finely chased, the cover with the Imperial gold kikumon with sixteen petals and etched with scrolling vines issuing from the central signet. The box with two small kiku blossom handles with rings, signed to the base MITSUKOSHI sei jungin (made by Mitsukoshi, pure silver). LENGTH 5.4 cm WEIGHT 76 g Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, traces of use, and small surface scratches to the base. Bonbonnières (bonbon boxes) first started being given as gifts by the Imperial household during the Meiji period. They were gifted on special occasions such as coronations, weddings, births, and special ceremonies. During the Taisho period, the emperor began gifting bonbonnières as gestures of diplomatic favor, and examples of bonbonnières baring the US and UK flags alongside the Rising Sun flag were gifted during diplomatic meetings during the 1910s. Literature comparison: Compare a related silver bonbonnière gifted to the crown prince of Japan, the future Showa emperor, as well as a bonbonnière bearing the US and Japanese flag, dated 1921 and 1919, illustrated in Susan Tosk and David Cole (2022) Japanese Imperial Silver Bonbonnières: Elegance in the Palm of Your Hand, the Nancy and Robin Markbreiter Collection, Arts of Asia, Spring, p. 33. Auction comparison: Compare a related silver box missing its cover by the same artist, signed Mitsukoshi jungin sei, at Sotheby’s, Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own, 11 September 2023, London, lot 1071 (sold for GBP 4,826).