Rimpa-style lacquer inro, Japan Edo period18th century

Rimpa-style lacquer inro, Japan, Edo period, 18th century
A gold lacquer inro, decorated in the spirit of the Rinpa school, the school of Ogata Korin (1658–1716). The composition features stylized waves drawn in black lacquer on a matte gold background, contrasting with two large baskets drawn in relief in patinated pewter and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, whose iridescent flashes punctuate the surface. The structure of the basket, suggested by a geometric network, intertwines the planes and reinforces the abstraction of the motif.
Dimensions : 6.3 x 5.5 x 1.5 cm.
The inro, a small box suspended from a man's costume, was used to hold medicines or seals. This one is a perfect example of the combination of utility and decorative refinement. The basket motif (ajiro) is a classic theme, boldly reinterpreted here in a purely Rinpa aesthetic: economy of means, overlapping planes, graphic rhythm. The stylized sea, rendered dynamic by curved lines and alternating textures, evokes Korin, master of poetic evocation.
The Rinpa school, founded in the early 17th century by Hon'ami Koetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu, was revived by the Ogata brothers, K?rin and Kenzan, in the following century. More than a school in the strict sense, Rinpa is an aesthetic movement centered on stylization, color, and surface decoration. It has had a lasting influence on Japanese decorative arts: screens, ceramics, lacquerware, and textiles. The modernity of its often asymmetrical compositions has spanned the centuries and left its mark on Japan from the Edo period to the present day.