"Fukusa (Gift Cover)," Unknown artist, 1840-70.

An old Japanese tradition was that gifts would be presented on a tray or in a box, and would be draped with a fukusa, a showy cloth, usually embroidered, that would show off the giver's wealth and/or social position.

Here we have a fukusa of blue satin, embroidered with cranes in silk and metallic thread. Cranes are a symbol of longevity in Japan, as they were believed to live for 1,000 years.

I can imagine this being used to cover a gift from a younger person to an older relative or parent, perhaps, communicating a wish for a long life. The fukusa tradition has all but died out in Japan, which seems a pity, but at least we have examples like this to keep the memory alive.

From the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

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