Inro Case Depicting the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
18th century
This Japanese inrō case dates to the 18th century and is attributed to the maker Chikanao. It measures 9.5 by 4.5 cm with a diameter of 4.5 cm. The multi-tiered container is executed in lacquer with inlay and is fitted with a cord, bead ojime, and a carved netsuke.
The surface decoration depicts the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. The figures are portrayed in conventional Chinese robes and coiffures, distinguished by facial hair that renders them foreign in appearance. They are depicted gathering around a long scroll, set against a background featuring bamboo foliage and sprinkled metallic lacquer details.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were a group of poets in third-century China renowned for refusing societal conventions, abandoning politics and worldly pursuits in favor of wine, music, and poetry. They were also celebrated in Japan as exemplars of artistic idiosyncrasy.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Lacquer with inlay
- Dimensions
- 9.5 × 4.5 cm (3 3/4 × 1 13/16 in.); Diam.: 4.5 cm (1 13/16 in.)
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Chikanao, Japanese
- Place recorded
- Japan
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Art Institute of Chicago collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Inro Case Depicting the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
- Museum object number
- 1900.1170.3
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.