Meiji okimono by Nogami Ryuki at Laura Bordignon
This Japanese bronze okimono of turtles – symbolic of longevity and good luck – belonged to the empress Shōken (1849-1914), the consort of the emperor Meiji who ruled Japan from 1868-1912.
Shōken, a child prodigy, was the first Japanese empress to play a public and diplomatic role and b…