AN UNUSUAL JAPANESE FOUR-CASE LACQUER INRO

AN UNUSUAL JAPANESE FOUR-CASE LACQUER INRO

EDO OR MEIJI PERIOD, 19TH CENTURY

Decorated to all sides with a continuous design of broken wagon wheels discarded amongst vines and scrolling tendrils, the front with a praying mantis standing on a leaf, the design rendered in red and black takamaki-e lacquer in relief on the mottled toffee-coloured ground imitating agate, three leaves made of silvered metal inlays, together with a glass ojime, the inro 8cm.

Provenance: an English private collection, Somerset.