寒山拾得蒔絵印籠|Inrō with Rinpa Style Kanzan and Jittoku

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 classes during Japan's peaceful Edo era (1615–1868). The artwork showcases Rinpa style, Kōrin's signature decorative movement known for its bold, asymmetrical compositions inspired by nature and classical poetry. Kanzan (Cold Mountain) and Jittoku (Picked Up), legendary Zen monk-poets symbolizing enlightened eccentricity, are rendered in intricate maki-e (sprinkled gold powder) technique on a shimmering gold lacquer ground. Mother-of-pearl and pewter inlays add luminous depth to motifs of men, birds, and flowers, evoking poetic harmony between humans and nature. Culturally, inrō were status symbols blending functionality with artistry, their diminutive scale demanding masterful precision. This piece captures Rinpa's enduring legacy, bridging 17th-century innovation with 19th-century refinement, inviting viewers to ponder Zen wisdom in everyday elegance.

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.