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

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

INRÖ WITH GROUNDS IN VARIOUS OTHER TECHNIQUES 40. Inro of three cases; internal channels (Fig. 40 a

—b). Inside fine-grained orange nashiji. The scenes of the same tale — the war of the monkeys and crabs — appear in red ground on both sides, connected at both edges. The rocky water-side, waves and the crabs are mostly in gold and some silver hira- and takamakie. The plastic figure of the monkey sitting on the shore and teasing the crabs with a branch is in bronze-coloured kuri-iro-urushi. On the other side a towering cliff behind the high waves with a sitting and another younger monkey climbing upwards. On the rocks and on the trunk of the trees okibirame and kirigane. In the great waves yakigane in some places. 7.2X7.5 cm. Second part of the 18th century. This inro is of an interesting colour scheme and of excellent quality, displaying a wide variety of techniques without over-elaboration. 41. Inro of three cases; internal channels (Fig. 41). Inside orange nashiji, with gold-painted rims. A wild-boar in the thicket in bronze-coloured kuri-iro-urushi takamakie in shu-nuri ground. Pine branches and kiku in gold hira- and takamakie. Silver hiramakie, kirigane and gold foil at some places. A great leaf is inlaid in raden. On the trunk of the tree okibirame. The decoration extends to the other side. 7.5X7.1 cm. Early 19th century. This inro is also of good quality from the technical point of view, but the large raden inlay is somewhat exaggerated here. 42. Flat inro of four cases; internal channels (Fig. 42). Inside dark orange nashiji; the rims are gold-painted. On both sides fukuro-obi in various techniques in polished red, shunuri ground. Their bases are in gold hiramakie, polished black lacquer and aogai decorated mainly with geometric motifs in kirigane, kuri-iro-nuri, yakigane, kinpun and aogai inlay. 9.2X4.6 cm. Signature: Koma Kyuhaku. This carefully made but in its decoration somewhat over-elaborated inrô may be the work of a late Koma lacquerer from the early 19th century. 43. Inro of three cases; internal channels (Fig. 43). Inside reddish nashiji with black particles. One side is decorated with the sitting figure of a tiger in gold and silver hira- and takamakie with some black and red lacquer in the greenish-gray ground. The eyes are inlaid in rock-crystal. On the other side the trunk of a bamboo tree in gold makie work decorated with some okibirame. 6.9X6.4 cm. Signature : Zeshin. This inro of the late 19th century falls short of the high standard of lacquerwork made by Zeshin. 44. Flat inrô of three cases; internal channels (Fig. 44). Inside cherry blossoms painted in various colours. The whole surface of the inrô, including the lid and the bottom, is decorated with large kiku flowers painted in various but mostly red, gold and black colours in jőgahana technique (not in real lacquer but in a technique resembling oil-painting). 8.3X5.3 cm. Second part of the 18th century. The painting of the inside indicates perhaps that this inrô decorated in a comparatively rare technique was made somewhere in the country. 45. Inro of four cases; internal channels (Fig. 45). Inside brownish-black. On the outer and inner walls of the cases gold-painted karakusa design. Both sides of the inrô are decorated with geometric patterns (asa-no-ha), each case with different patterns and tech128