Single and multi section Japanese inro (small case)

Originating in the fifteenth century, an inro was originally a Japanese seal case, used to carry the owner's seal for signature of documents and pigment. Later the inro was modified by adding compartments and was used to carry aromatic herbs, tobacco or medicine. It was suspended from the sash around the owners waist (obi), by a cord secured by a toggle (netsuke). Wood covered in lacquer was the favourite material, though carved wood, ivory, porcelain and pottery, and bamboo were also used. For specialised use iron was employed. The finest examples come from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries and were decorated with gold or silver in delicate complex patterns, the favourite motifs being birds, beasts, gods, flowers, blossoms, dragons, and clouds, often depicted in an asymmetrical manner, often whimsical, often near abstract. To collectors, the variety of the lacquer is of great interest, whether it is flat, raised, incised more... or carved. less...