Excellent Antique (Edo Period) Japanese Four-case Lacquer Inro Depicting Kirin

19th century

Sold by Antik Dragon Japanese & Other Fine Art

Description

Nice Japanese early 19thC (Edo period) four-case lacquer inro depicting the mythical Japanese creature, kirin (see below). The exterior contains intricate lacquer work in gold maki-e, while the interior is decorated in nashiji. Unsigned. Comes with a coral ojime.

Edo Period, early 19th Century

Unsigned

Height 6cm, width 5cm, depth 2cm.

Excellent original condition with minimal signs of wear.

Kirin is the Japanese form of the Chinese mythical creature the ‘qilin’, which has also come to be used as the modern Japanese word for a giraffe. Japanese art tends to depict the kirin as more deer-like than in Chinese art, although it’s also depicted as a dragon shaped like a deer, but with an ox's tail instead of a lion's tail.

Physical Dimensions

Height

6cm (2.36")

Width

5cm (1.97")

Depth

2cm (0.79")

Declaration

Antik Dragon Japanese & Other Fine Art has dated this piece to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA840843

Dealers Internal Reference

AD135/21

Description

Nice Japanese early 19thC (Edo period) four-case lacquer inro depicting the mythical Japanese creature, kirin (see below).

“

The exterior contains intricate lacquer work in gold maki-e, while the interior is decorated in nashiji.

Antik Dragon Japanese & Other Fine Art

Unsigned. Comes with a coral ojime.

fig 1. Excellent Antique (Edo period) Japanese Four-Case Lacquer Inro Depicting Kirin — fig 1. Excellent Antique (Edo Period) Japanese Four-case Lacquer Inro Depicting Kirin

Edo Period, early 19th Century

Unsigned

Height 6cm, width 5cm, depth 2cm.

Excellent original condition with minimal signs of wear.

Kirin is the Japanese form of the Chinese mythical creature the ‘qilin’, which has also come to be used as the modern Japanese word for a giraffe. Japanese art tends to depict the kirin as more deer-like than in Chinese art, although it’s also depicted as a dragon shaped like a deer, but with an ox's tail instead of a lion's tail.