Inro
ca. 1775-1850 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
The inro is a container made up of tiers. Japanese men used them because the traditional Japanese garment, the kimono, had no pockets. From the late 1500s onwards, Japanese men wore the inro suspended from their sash by a silk cord and a netsuke (toggle). They originally used it to hold their seal and ink or a supply of medicines. However, it rapidly became a costly fashion accessory of little or no practical use. Most inro are rectangular with gently curving sides.
From the 1750s onwards, craftsmen increasingly tried to find interesting and inventive ways to decorate inro. This example shows a hanging scroll that appears to be suspended from the top of the inro. The lacquer worker has even reproduced the figured silk mounts of a painting. The silver lacquer surface looks like paper or silk and the craftsman has incised it with thin lines that imitate East Asian calligraphy.
From the 1700s onwards, many more artists signed the inro they made. This example is signed Toyo. Iizuka Toyo was a famous lacquerer who worked during the second half of the 18th century. Many of his descendants and pupils also used the same name. This makes it difficult to identify individual craftsmen.
From the 1750s onwards, craftsmen increasingly tried to find interesting and inventive ways to decorate inro. This example shows a hanging scroll that appears to be suspended from the top of the inro. The lacquer worker has even reproduced the figured silk mounts of a painting. The silver lacquer surface looks like paper or silk and the craftsman has incised it with thin lines that imitate East Asian calligraphy.
From the 1700s onwards, many more artists signed the inro they made. This example is signed Toyo. Iizuka Toyo was a famous lacquerer who worked during the second half of the 18th century. Many of his descendants and pupils also used the same name. This makes it difficult to identify individual craftsmen.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Gold, silver and black lacquer |
Brief description | Inro, gold, silver and black lacquer, Hotei on a hanging scroll, signed Toyo, Japan, ca.1775-1850. |
Physical description | This inro, of rectangular form and elliptical cross-section, is decorated with Hotei on a hanging scroll, in gold hiramakie and takamakie with Hotei incised in silver lacquer on a black lacquer ground.. The reverse depicts a bamboo vase with iris in gold takamakie lacquer. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Marks and inscriptions |
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Credit line | Pfungst Gift |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | The inro is a container made up of tiers. Japanese men used them because the traditional Japanese garment, the kimono, had no pockets. From the late 1500s onwards, Japanese men wore the inro suspended from their sash by a silk cord and a netsuke (toggle). They originally used it to hold their seal and ink or a supply of medicines. However, it rapidly became a costly fashion accessory of little or no practical use. Most inro are rectangular with gently curving sides. From the 1750s onwards, craftsmen increasingly tried to find interesting and inventive ways to decorate inro. This example shows a hanging scroll that appears to be suspended from the top of the inro. The lacquer worker has even reproduced the figured silk mounts of a painting. The silver lacquer surface looks like paper or silk and the craftsman has incised it with thin lines that imitate East Asian calligraphy. From the 1700s onwards, many more artists signed the inro they made. This example is signed Toyo. Iizuka Toyo was a famous lacquerer who worked during the second half of the 18th century. Many of his descendants and pupils also used the same name. This makes it difficult to identify individual craftsmen. |
Bibliographic reference | Julia Hutt, Japanese Inro, V&A Publications, 1997; plate 67 |
Collection | |
Accession number | W.259-1922 |
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Record created | March 7, 2003 |
Record URL |
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