Inro depicting quails

Inro depicting quails is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe (Germany). Description supplied by the holding institution: The slightly bulbously curved inrō has five parts and features a raised cord channel.

On one side sit three quails, on the other two, between partially nibbled panicled millet ears and shrubs. The raised cord channel is decorated with thin, spirally coiling tendrils. Due to wear from use on the gold "takamakie" (a type of Japanese gold lacquer painting), the underlying red lacquer appears. Where the original condition is still preserved, the drawing of the quails and shrubs in monochrome gold "takamakie" contrasts sharply with the background decorated with black lacquer.

The depiction of quails and millet ears on inrō enjoyed great popularity in Japan. Quails are considered brave in China and Japan. They are said to possess a combative character. With the quails carelessly picking at their food amid lushly growing fruits, the inrō possibly alludes to a paradisiacal state of... The collection record gives measurements Höhe: 6.5 cm, Breite: 5.3 cm, Tiefe: 2.2 cm. Published through Europeana; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.