A JAPANESE GOLD LACQUER FOUR-CASE INRO

A JAPANESE GOLD LACQUER FOUR-CASE INRO

MEIJI PERIOD, 19TH CENTURY

Decorated to both sides with a continuous design of Okame in an interior, the Goddess of Mirth peacefully sleeping against a large rectangular pillow whilst holding an open fan, a blind open behind her; the other side with a black lacquer tsuigasane (table tray) and a wooden tray, the designs rendered in gold, silver, red and black takamaki-e, hiramaki-e and tsukegaki on the nashiji ground, the base signed with three tensho characters, possibl for Hosen saku, attached to a coral ojime, the inro 9.2cm.

Provenance: an English private collection, Somerset.