‘Maki-e’ is a Japanese lacquer decoration technique in which pictures, patterns, and letters are drawn with lacquer on the surface of lacquerware, and then metal powder such as gold or silver is sprinkled and fixed on the surface of the lacquerware.
Inscribed name: Shiomi Masanari
Made by Shiomi Masanari
Mid-Edo period (18C)
A gift from Kiyoharu Sato
This is an inro (seal case) made by Shiomi Masanari (1646-1719), a maki-e artist in Kyoto. A pictorial representation of filial piety expressed in maki-e (gold lacquerwork): featuring a dutiful child digging the ground during the snowy winter season to harvest bamboo shoots for the mother, who wanted to eat them.
The inro, or seal case, was a small container that was also used for carrying medicine (pills) around duringthe Edo period (1603-1868) and included a netsuke (miniature carving attached to the end of a cord hanging from a pouch), allowing it to be carried while slung around the waist.