寒山拾得蒔絵印籠|Inrō with Rinpa Style Kanzan and Jittoku
first half of the 19th century
Medium
Three cases; lacquered wood with mother-of-pearl and pewter inlay on gold lacquer ground; Pouch: printed cotton with sarasa pattern; Ojime: metal bead
Dimensions
H. 2 3/16 in. (5.5 cm); W. 1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm); D. 3/4 in. (1.9 cm)
Classification
Inrō
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.100.812
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Inrō with Rinpa Style Kanz and Jittoku*, to Ogata Kōrin's influential workshop in the first half of the19th century, exemplifies pinnacle of Edo-period Japanese lacquer artistry. Crafted from three lacquered wood cases (measuring just 5.5 cm high), it served as a portable carrying case for seals, medicines, or tobacco—suspended from a kimono sash via a cord, secured by an ojime bead and paired with a printed cotton pouch featuring vibrant sarasa patterns. Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's H.O. Havemeyer Collection, it reflects the refined tastes of samurai and merchant c...
About the Artist
Ogata Kōrin · 1658–1716
Noted as one of the most important Japanese artists of the 17th century; known for paintings of irises and other subjects. He was regarded, along with Sotatsu, as one of the masters of the Sotatsu-Koetsu school of decorative painting, including painted screens and textile designs. He was descended from a samurai who had served under the Ashikaga rulers.