Medicine Case (Inro)
maker
Unknown
Datelate 19th century
Place MadeJapan, East Asia
MediumLacquered wood with gold, silver, and red hiramaki-e and takamaki-e with cutout gold foil on gold ground and coral, mother-of-pearl, and lead foil inlay; ivory netsuke and polished stone ojime
Dimensions7 x 5 cm (2 3/4 x 1 15/16 in.)
ClassificationsBoxes
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberU18e62
eMuseum ID719085
EmbARK ObjectID13419
Previous NumberU18e54 (GC)
Previous NumberU18e54.2
TMS Source ID2352
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryTied at the waist in traditional Japanese dress, an inro is a small, decorative case used to carry medicine or small items such as seals. A netsuke, often carved from ivory or wood, is the weight used to prevent the inro from slipping through an obi, the sash of a kimono. Inro and netsuke were designed to delight those who took the time to examine their miniature detail, and on this example, the artisan used mother-of-pearl, coral, and lead to depict a Japanese lantern plant on one side and seed pods on the other. The netsuke is made from ivory, and the ojime, the bead, is a white stone. Isabella displayed seven inro in the Little Salon, many of which she probably purchased on her trip to Japan in 1883.
BibliographyNotesGilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 146. (as Japanese, dated 18th-19th century)
“Notes, Records, Comments.” Gardner Museum Calendar of Events 8, no. 30 (28 Mar. 1965), p. 2.
Yasuko Horioka et al. Oriental and Islamic Art: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1975), pp. 89-90, no. 40b. (as Japanese, dated late 19th century)
Alan Chong and Noriko Murai. Journeys East: Isabella Stewart Gardner and Asia. Exh. cat. (Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 2009), pp. 411, 414 fig. 10. (as possibly purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner in Japan, 1883)
Holly Salmon, "From Tree Sap to Tea Jar: East Asian Lacquer," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 9 February 2021, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/tree-sap-tea-jar-east-asian-lacquer
“Notes, Records, Comments.” Gardner Museum Calendar of Events 8, no. 30 (28 Mar. 1965), p. 2.
Yasuko Horioka et al. Oriental and Islamic Art: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1975), pp. 89-90, no. 40b. (as Japanese, dated late 19th century)
Alan Chong and Noriko Murai. Journeys East: Isabella Stewart Gardner and Asia. Exh. cat. (Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 2009), pp. 411, 414 fig. 10. (as possibly purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner in Japan, 1883)
Holly Salmon, "From Tree Sap to Tea Jar: East Asian Lacquer," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 9 February 2021, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/tree-sap-tea-jar-east-asian-lacquer
ProvenanceNotesPossibly purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner during her trip to Japan in 1883.
