Today, I wanted to celebrate the taste of our author Miriam Slater. Don’t let this piece fool you. “The truth is never pure and rarely simple.” This Meiji kanzashi is a painting within a sculpture.

Within the bird perched on a branch, is the stem and flower of a Japanese hibiscus. Notice the stick painted in beige, as the natural ivory is left alone to show the leaves. Atop the bird is the flower painted in gold with a coral center.