SHUN’YO: A FINE INLAID FOUR-CASE LACQUER INRO WITH A SEA EAGLE AND A QUAIL, AFTER A DESIGN BY Hanabusa Itcho

Lot description

SHUN’YO: A FINE INLAID FOUR-CASE LACQUER INRO WITH A SEA EAGLE AND A QUAIL, AFTER A DESIGN BY HANABUSA ITCHO By Shun’yo, after a design by Hanabusa Itcho, signed Shun'yo 春葉 and with a pot seal Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1603-1868) Of upright rectangular form, finely decorated in gold, silver, and red takamaki-e and hiramaki-e, with e-nashiji accents on a lustrous roiro ground. The front features a majestic sea eagle in mid-swoop, its powerful form rendered in intricate detail above a flowing stream, foliage and pine saplings set on mother-of-pearl inlays. The reverse shows a quail perched on a rock highlighted with kirigane flakes. Signed to the underside SHUN’YO. The interior of red lacquer and fundame rims. With a tsuishu (carved red lacquer) ojime inlaid with mother-of-pearl depicting chrysanthemums and a black and red carved lacquer manju netsuke of square shape depicting leafy vines. LENGTH 5 cm, HEIGHT 6.7 cm Condition: Very good condition, with only slight rubbing and age-related traces of use. The artist Shun'yo appears to be unrecorded, however considering the use of a red tsubo (pot) seal was likely affiliated with the Kajikawa lacquerers of Edo. Hanabusa Itcho (1652-1724) was a Japanese painter, calligrapher, and haiku poet. He originally trained in the Kano style, under Kano Yasunobu, but ultimately rejected that style and became a literato (bunjin). He was also known as Hishikawa Waō and by several other names.