Inro (Case) with Egrets and Willows
1700–1799
- Medium
- Lacquer on wood with sprinkled gold powder design (maki-e) and gold-foil-and-shell inlay (Somada style)
- Dimensions
- Overall: 9.9 x 4.8 cm (3 7/8 x 1 7/8 in.)
- Genre
- lacquer
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
About
The iridescence of this inro is due to the shell inlay used to form the design of an egret (a waterfowl) standing among reeds in water beneath a weeping willow on one side and an egret resting in a tree on the other. The metal ojime (cinch) has a floral design, and the round lacquer netsuke, or toggle, has an image of a Chinese gentleman, possibly an immortal, holding flowers planted in a shallow pot.