The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, was built as East Cliff Hall between 1897-1907 for Sir Merton and Lady Russell-Cotes as both a family residence and museum.

The Russell-Cotes visited Japan in 1885 returning with over 100 cases of Japanese objects, many of which they displayed in a specially decorated ��Japanese Drawing Room�� in their hotel, the Royal Bath. Their collection was transferred to East Cliff Hall in 1908 and in 1920 put on permanent display in ��The Mikado��s Room��. The ceiling of this room (which can still be seen today) was painted with Japanese designs and scenes of Japan, as well as portraits of the Emperor Meiji and Empress Haruko.

The Japanese collection numbers some 2,500 objects with an interesting collection of metalwork including arms and armour, sculpture, lacquer, costume, textiles, ceramics and Buddhist objects. There are also some scroll paintings, prints and printed books and Meiji period photograph albums, The museum displays the collections of an individual acquired during the period when interest in Japan was at its height and the collections have been sympathetically presented in both contemporary and ��original�� displays - including the ��Mikado��s Room��.

Map of Japanese Art Collections in the UK