Inro (Case) with Egrets and Willows

The collection record classifies this work as lacquer. It is dated 1700s. Recorded culture or place: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868).

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OBJECT RECORD

A closer look at the details.

Museum title: Inro (Case) with Egrets and Willows
Date: 1700s
Culture / origin: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Materials and technique: 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.)
Artist / maker: Not specified by the museum
Museum: The Cleveland Museum of Art
Accession number: 1916.866

FROM THE MUSEUM

In the museum’s words

The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.

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.

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