Inro 4 Boxes. Peonies In Mother Of Pearl On Brown Lacquer. Aogai On Roiro Urushi. Japan Edo 17th Century.

Inro with 4 boxes decorated with mother-of-pearl peonies, drowned in an almost black dark red brown lacquer. Japanese work from the beginning of the Edo period, 17th century. It is rare to find inros from this period, they are probably the first decorated ones to have been created. The lacquer is dark red-brown, almost black, it is very solid and despite the shocks and more than three centuries of handling it has not chipped at all. The mother of pearl is also well preserved solidly maintained and there is only a tiny missing due to direct impact. It is a good example of the solidity of the lacquers of this period which will weaken thereafter from the 18th century. It would seem that the brown background is in pure urushi, with no or very little added pigment, which would explain the solidity. The reliefs are in lacquer of a redder hue and they too seem to be pure urushi. Pure urushi can have several shades of brown, either because of its extraction or because of the speed of drying. The gold dust has been partially worn away as can be seen in the photo, but this enhances the aesthetics of the work. These simple and powerful inros are not appreciated at their fair value, amateurs preferring very sophisticated works from later periods. 70x65mm No repairs, normal wear, very small accidents, all visible in the photos.