A JAPANESE FIVE-CASE GOLD LACQUER INRO

A JAPANESE FIVE-CASE GOLD LACQUER INRO
MEIJI ERA, 19TH CENTURY

Decorated with a cockerel and hen standing on a war drum, the reverse with two further chickens underneath leafy ivy; all rendered in gold, silver and red takamaki-e lacquer on a gold fundame ground; with an agate ojime; the inro 9.5cm.

In Japanese lore, a chicken on a drum is a symbol of peace as a war drum fallen into disuse becomes a perch for the bird.