YOZEI: A FOUR-CASE TSUISHU-INLAID LACQUER INRO DEPICTING SHISHI AND PEONY
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
18th-19th century
Signed to the underside in scratched chinkinbori characters YOZEI zo [made by Yozei]. The interior cases of nashiji with gold fundame rims. Chinkinbori is a technique whereby the surface is incised with a design and then filled with a colored powder or leaf that stands out against the background.
The pairing of shishi and peonies (botan shishi) is a long-standing motif in Japanese traditional art. The shishi, a Buddhist symbol of power and protection, was regarded as the ‘king of the animals’, while the peony, symbolizing wealth and good fortune, was considered the ‘queen of the flowers’, being both together considered as fitting and auspicious companions.
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.
Physical characteristics
- Material (listing wording)
- lustrous roiro ground and finely decorated on one side in beautiful bright-red tsuishu
- Dimensions or weight (listing wording)
- HEIGHT 6.4 cm, LENGTH 4.9 cm
Identification
- Source note
- Auction-house description published on Invaluable. Attribution and measurements are the auction house’s statements about the photographed example; independent type authentication remains research required.
- Listing object ID
- 200169252
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Independent confirmation of type attribution and auction-house statements remains research required.