A ROIRONURI-GROUND KOMA SCHOOL LACQUER INRO CHEST ATTRIBUTED TO SHIBATA ZESHIN (1807-1891) decorated in gold, silver and iroe takamakie with realistic depictions of tsuba and kozuka simulating a variety of metals including iron, copper, shakudo, shibuichi and sentoku depicting scenes from Japanese and Chinese legends such as Okame at setsubun, Chokaro and his horse, sparrow dancers, the Chinese general Kan'u, Hotei, an oil thief, Daruma, Shoki and oni, with twin metal carrying handles and metal mounts chased with scrolling karakusa on nanakoji, the two outer doors opening to reveal five rectangular compartmented inner drawers decorated in Tsugaru-nuri style (some small old damage), inscribed in a rectangular reserve on the right hand outer door go-inro, 19th century

THE PROPERTY OF A COLLECTOR

Details

A ROIRONURI-GROUND KOMA SCHOOL LACQUER INRO CHEST ATTRIBUTED TO SHIBATA ZESHIN (1807-1891) decorated in gold, silver and iroe takamakie with realistic depictions of tsuba and kozuka simulating a variety of metals including iron, copper, shakudo, shibuichi and sentoku depicting scenes from Japanese and Chinese legends such as Okame at setsubun, Chokaro and his horse, sparrow dancers, the Chinese general Kan'u, Hotei, an oil thief, Daruma, Shoki and oni, with twin metal carrying handles and metal mounts chased with scrolling karakusa on nanakoji, the two outer doors opening to reveal five rectangular compartmented inner drawers decorated in Tsugaru-nuri style (some small old damage), inscribed in a rectangular reserve on the right hand outer door go-inro, 19th century
34.9cm wide

Lot Essay

A similar box is illustrated in Goke, Shibata Zeshin meihin shu (Tokyo 1981), pls. 54-60 and a similar suzuribako and ryoshibako are illustrated in Okada, A sprinkling of gold--the lacquer box collection of Elaine Ehrenkrantz (Newark 1983), pp. 97ff.
A similar inrobako from the Collection of Carl A. Kroch was sold at Christie's New York, December 1, 1987, Part II, Lot 169

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