Inro, Ojime and Netsuke

mid 18th century

Here are three inro (seal or medicine cases), bearing a deer, a camellia, and a bracken fern, cherished designs among Rinpa artists. Strong visual impressions created from simplified, elegant forms are characteristic of Rinpa style. A recent study of Rinpa lacquerware confirms that a great number of small lacquerwares-including inro, combs, tea caddies, stationery, and tableware-were produced by the skilled artisan Hara Yoyusai (1769-1845) and his followers, and designed by the legendary Rinpa artist Sakai Hoitsu (1761-1828). Objects inscribed with their personal trademarks (as can be seen on the inro with the camellia design) were in great demand among many levels of society in Edo.

Lacquer

3 3/8 x 2 x 1 in. (8.57 x 5.08 x 2.54 cm)

Dr. Duncan MacTavish Fuller

55.52

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Fall and Winter in Japan", October 22, 2002 - February 23, 2003

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Spring and Summer in Japan",
February 28, 2002 - October 13, 2002

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Refined Harmony: Decorative Arts from the Edo Period", March 7, 2003 - March 23, 2004

Published ReferencesFuller, Richard E. "Japanese Art in the Seattle Art Museum: An Historical Sketch." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1960 ("Presented in commemoration of the Hundredth Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and the United States of America"), no. 191

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

Learn more about Equity at SAM