Japanese Lacquer Inro with Gold Maki-e and Carved Wood Netsuke Meiji Period

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A Japanese four-case inro with a stringed carved wood netsuke circa 19th century. The inro has a near square form … Read more A Japanese four-case inro with a stringed carved wood netsuke circa 19th century. The inro has a near square form with rounded corners, The surface is decorated with gold hiramaki-e and kirigane with on a black lacquered background. On one side, a container holding items that appear to be tools is half-hidden behind a tree trunk, One the other side, an empty tray is left on the foreground. The design was intentionally sparse with abundant empty background left in black. The netsuke is a carved softwood in the form of an old woman, possibly alluding to the old lady of Takasago pine. The surface is worn with little pigment retain. The piece is unsigned. See less