Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 11. (Budapest, 1968)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM — MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Ferenczy, László: Japanese Inrö in the Hopp Museum

As a listing according to signatures might be misleading and the arrangement into periods would pose difficulties, I thought it best to arrange inrö according to the technique of the ground and in a tentative chronological sequence within that. This method was followed by E. F. Strange in the catalogue of the inrö collection the Victoria and Albert Museum and by von Ragué in her monograph on the Töyö school. This method of listing is to be regarded in a broader sense, together with the dating. In cases of signed specimens the caution recommended by the mentioned authors must be stressed and quality, style and composition are to be considered more important than signatures. Inrö with black ground (not highly polished ro-iro) 1. Inrö of square form, three cases, silver cord tubes (Fig. 1. a-b). Inside fine-grained nashiji. On the black frame, bottom and top karakusa in gold hiramakie (daimyô-nuri). Reticulated cloth ground with the representation of two Chinese sages or sennin encrusted in tortoise-shell, backed with gold foil. An old man sitting before the railing with a double gourd in his hand. Another man, sitting beside a low table, is contemplating a vase with a dead bough. In the foreground rocks and flowers, behind railing in gold and silver makie. On the rocks gold okibirame. 6.4X6 cm. This is an early inrö of excellent quality, from the second half of the 17

th century, and an outstanding example of early inrö in Chinese style. Encrustement in tortoise-shell is uncommon on later inrö. Some inrö in similar style can be mentioned here as analogies. The karakusa on the frame, the inside panel and in some cases inlay in tortoise-shell and the silver cord runners are Fig. 1. a-b