A VERY LARGE AND RARE FIVE-CASE LACQUER INRO OF A WHALE AND GIANT SQUID LOCKED IN BATTLE

拍品描述

A VERY LARGE AND RARE FIVE-CASE LACQUER INRO OF A WHALE AND GIANT SQUID LOCKED IN BATTLE Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Of imposing size, the five-case inro of upright rectangular form and oval section, bearing a finely sprinkled kinji ground and boldly decorated in gold takamaki-e and hiramaki-e with mother-of-pearl inlay. The continuous underwater scene depicts an immense whale and giant squid locked in violent combat, the squid’s long tentacles coiling around the whale as schools of small fish scatter through the surrounding depths. The whale’s eye and the squid’s mantle are subtly heightened with shell inlay, lending the dramatic composition further depth and animation. The interiors are lacquered in nashiji with gold fundame rims. With a globular coral ojime. HEIGHT 11.4 cm, LENGTH 6.4 cm Depictions of marine life are well established in Japanese lacquer, but a whale and giant squid locked in combat is an extraordinarily rare subject on inro. The unusually large format allows the artist to unfold the dramatic scene across the continuous surface, with the squid’s tentacles encircling the whale as schools of fish scatter through the surrounding waters.

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