A three-case inro in the shape of a broken jar depicting two karako
26
A lacquer three-case inro
19th century
In the shape of a broken jar, representing the story of Shiba Onko, shown on one side standing back as he watches his friend tumbling out with water cascading and splashing around his body from the opening in the jar at the front, all in gold and iro-e takamakie, with details enhanced in gold kirikane, the interior of rich nashiji, unsigned. 6.5cm (2½in) high.
Sold for £1,375 inc. premium

Footnotes

  • 壷形司馬温公図蒔絵印籠　無銘　19世紀

    Provenance: purchased at Glendining & Co. Ltd., London in 1944.

    Shiba Onko (Chian/Sima Qian in Chinese) was a famous statesman and historian of the Han Dynasty. This is an episode linked to his childhood, when it was said that he and his companions were watching fish in a huge jar when one of them fell in. While the rest of his playmates ran away shrieking, leaving the child to drown, Shiba Onko used a rock to break the jar to drain out the water and set his companion free. This episode was a popular theme among Edo-period artists as a parable of virtuous behaviour.

Category: Asian Art / Japanese Art

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