Inro (Case) with Mice and Beans
Unknown Artist
late 1800s
Medium
Lacquer on wood with color and sprinkled gold powder design (maki-e)
Dimensions
diam. 8.4 cm
Classification
Lacquer
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of D. Z. Norton
Accession Number
1916.885
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This round inro is decorated with an image of a single mouse feasting on beans. The theme is elaborated with a metal ojime (cinch) in the form of a cloth bag tied with rope—suggesting the food stores the mouse is raiding. The carved wood netsuke, or toggle, is in the shape of a mouse clutching a nut.