Imre Jakabffy (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 1. (Budapest, 1973)

FERENCZY, László: Japanese inro in the Hopp Museum. Part two

29 stressed technical variety. It is worthy of note that the scene is not merely a decoration but it produces a living, pictorial effect. Besides, the scene is adapted in an excellent way to the form of the inrô and the distribution of space is proportionate without being symmetric. An inrô decorated with a similar scene was published from the Orange collection. Here a red-clad boy is represented catching sparrows by the means of a snare. In the text it is described as an early 18th century inrô from Kyoto with a very unusual decoration.

2 34. Inro of four cases, with internal channels (Fig. 34 a

—b). The representation on the two sides is connected. The ground of the inrô is dark brown. The inside of the flat tray is in sabi-ji, imitating rusty surface; its outer wall is decorated with karakusa design. In the tray a small rock and the trunk of an old tree with a tortoise on it in gold takamakie combined with some okibirame. The back of the tortoise is covered with gold foil. The flowering branch of the plum tree is covered with red lacquer and gold foil at some places. 7X5.7 cm. This inrô, made probably around the turn of the 18th

—19th centuries, displays a modest conventional decoration with its motif possibly taken from a painting. As to the 121