Case (Inrō) with Design of a Flowering Cherry Tree
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Lacquer, dark brown, nashiji, gold and silver hiramakie; Interior: nashiji and fundame
Dimensions
2 15/16 x 2 1/16 x 15/16 in. (7.5 x 5.2 x 2.4 cm)
Classification
Inrō
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo (1615–1868) or Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1913
Accession Number
13.67.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Case (Inrō) with Design of a Flow Cherry Tree* is a example of Japanese lacquerware from the 19th, likely from the late Edo period (1615–1868) or early Meiji era (1868–1912). Inrō were small, tiered containers worn by men suspended from their kimono sashes via cords and secured with ornate netsuke. They served as portable medicine boxes or holders for seals and tobacco, evolving into fashionable accessories that displayed wealth and taste among samurai and merchants. Crafted in dark brown lacquer with nashiji—a shimmering "pear-skin" ground of sprinkled gold and silver flecks—...