Under the Hammer
Suzannah Yip's Top Picks from
The Last Treasures from the Edward Wrangham
Collection of Japanese Art
Our next Japanese Art auction will take place on 19 July, presenting The Last Treasures from the Edward Wrangham Collection. Amongst the 230 pieces offered, all lots estimated £3,000 or under will be sold without reserve.
Edward A. ('Ted') Wrangham O.B.E (1928-2009) was a distinguished connoisseur, authority and scholar of Japanese Art. His world-renowned collection comprised outstanding suzuribako (boxes for writing utensils), kiseruzutsu (pipe cases), tosogu (sword fittings), netsuke (toggles) and inro (miniature interlocking cases). Few collections of Japanese art have elicited as much admiration. The upcoming auction marks the final chapter in a series of six now-legendary sales held at Bonhams between 2010-2015, following Wrangham’s death in 2009.
Ahead of the auction, Suzannah Yip, Bonhams' Director of Japanese Art, tells us more about inro and her favourite lots going under the hammer.
Suzannah Yip, Bonhams' Director of Japanese Art
Suzannah Yip, Bonhams' Director of Japanese Art
‘The dispersal of the Wrangham collection has been one of the highlights of my career, not just because of the superb quality and variety of the collection but also because I was lucky enough to get to know Ted and benefit from his immense, wide-ranging expertise. Starting not long after I joined Bonhams, the Wrangham sales are also intimately linked with the birth of the Japanese Department and its growing reputation as a powerhouse in the field.
Ted and his inro will be remembered for decades—if not centuries—to come and I’m delighted that a further 230 lots will be offered in our auction on 19th July, representing one last opportunity to acquire a memento of his unique contribution to the history of British connoisseurship of Asian art.’
- Suzannah Yip, Bonhams' Director of Japanese Art
What are Inro?
Inro, miniature sets of interlocking lacquered cases, were worn at the waists of affluent urban males during Japan’s Edo period (1615-1868), secured to the obi (sash) by a silk cord. Sometimes said to have been used in lieu of pockets, inro were really ostentatious fashion accessories, often paired with other items such as a netsuke (toggle), pipe case or tobacco pouch. They were luxury goods made from expensive materials and took highly skilled workers hundreds of hours to create — truly the traditional Japanese equivalent of the eponymous Hermès Birkin, the coveted Chanel Boy Bag or today’s miniature and genderless hands-free bags or hangbags.
Wrangham's collection of more than 1,000 inro was an extraordinary accumulation and his name will forever be synonymous with this Japanese art form. Those featured in the sale combine visual richness, exquisite Japanese design and accomplished craftsmanship, concentrated on one small object in a way that is truly breathtaking.
Lot 53
A Black-Lacquer Four-Case Inro
Lot 53. A Black-Lacquer Four-Case Inro, by Okuda Yoshitsura, after Yuga and Kahei, 18th/19th century. Estimate: £1,000 - 1,500, to be sold without reserve.
Lot 53. A Black-Lacquer Four-Case Inro, by Okuda Yoshitsura, after Yuga and Kahei, 18th/19th century. Estimate: £1,000 - 1,500, to be sold without reserve.
Perspective, scale, and technical perfection
This inro is mesmerizing to hold in the palm of the hand, its unusual weight giving it a monumentality that offsets the humour and pathos of its depiction of the animals. On one side, a mischievous macaque brazenly peers over the edge of a tree hollow, while a raptor is shown on the other side in all its malevolent glory, staring menacingly at its doomed yet defiant prey.
The quality of the lacquering is superb, deploying a broad range of techniques including ishimenuri (simulated stone) which highlights the texture of the rocks, and subtle sprinkled-metal detail in the eagle’s feathers to create a sophisticated pictorial relief effect. An inscription records that the design was taken from a painting by Nemoto Yuga (1824–1866), a member of the Kano academy, official artists to the samurai elite.
Lot 56
A Gold-Lacquer Octagonal Five-Case Inro
Lot 56. A Gold-Lacquer Octagonal Five-Case Inro, by Tatsuke Takanori, 18th/19th century. Estimate: £800 - 1,200, to be sold without reserve.
Lot 56. A Gold-Lacquer Octagonal Five-Case Inro, by Tatsuke Takanori, 18th/19th century. Estimate: £800 - 1,200, to be sold without reserve.
Understated elegance and unusual form
Wrapped around the facetted surface, the continuous design on this particular inro is subtly worked in medium-relief lacquer. This contrasts with a stylized stream which is completed in the flat togidashi maki-e technique, an example of the semi-abstract Rinpa pictorial style.
Simple, poetic elements from the natural world were a main source of decoration for inro. This tranquil scene, evocative of the onset of autumn, depicts a pair of geese flying diagonally downwards, about to land on a stream flanked by wild flowers which are gently bending in the autumn breeze. The octagonal shape, formed as a child’s roly-poly buriburi toy, is seldom seen in inro, making this an especially charming piece.
Lot 75
A Black-Lacquer Three-Case Inro
Lot 75. A Black-Lacquer Three-Case Inro, by Koma Yasutada, 19th century. Estimate: £4,000 - 5,000
Lot 75. A Black-Lacquer Three-Case Inro, by Koma Yasutada, 19th century. Estimate: £4,000 - 5,000
Atmospheric suggestiveness
One side of this inro depicts five herons caught in a sudden shower, huddled together facing in different directions on a twisted branch. Soft, swaying willow leaves tumble across the fine black ground; on the reverse, a sixth bird approaches.
The herons are innovatively lacquered in silver-grey low relief, and their golden legs and beaks form an intriguing pattern that contrasts with the diagonal lines of nocturnal rain which are rendered in minutely sprinkled gold flakes. High-relief lacquer, combined with individually-placed tiny gold foil squares, gives the foreground branch a sense of monumental weight. The lyrical atmosphere of this piece is perfectly matched to its overall form and function.
Lot 105
A Fine and Rare Black-Lacquer Three-Case Saya (sheath) Inro
Lot 105. A Fine and Rare Black-Lacquer Three-Case Saya (sheath) Inro, by Kanshosai Toyo, 19th century. Estimate: £7,000 - 8,000
Lot 105. A Fine and Rare Black-Lacquer Three-Case Saya (sheath) Inro, by Kanshosai Toyo, 19th century. Estimate: £7,000 - 8,000
The perfect ‘hangbag’ for a bachelor samurai in Tokugawa Japan
Despite the vast range of motifs seen on inro, erotic scenes are rare. This example is of superior quality, executed by the well-known lacquerer, Kanshosai Toyo (circa 1780–1820), who was patronised by the powerful regional lord Hachisuka Shigeyoshi.
The unusual, subversive subject is expressed in the delicate and complex technique of polychrome togidashi maki-e, in which lacquer is applied in multiple layers before being polished flat to look like a painted scroll. Small gold flakes are used to render the embroidery on the luxurious robes, while the meticulous depiction of the figures' love-making is particularly noteworthy.
Fittingly, the inro is concealed within an innocuous outer sheath; only when it is pushed out do we discover the passionate samurai and courtesan within!
Lot 106
A Black-Lacquer Four-Case Inro
Lot 106. A Black-Lacquer Four-Case Inro, by Kanshosai Toyo, 19th century Estimate: £3,000 - 3,500, to be sold without reserve.
Lot 106. A Black-Lacquer Four-Case Inro, by Kanshosai Toyo, 19th century Estimate: £3,000 - 3,500, to be sold without reserve.
An unusual subject, brilliantly expressed
Using only black lacquer, gold, and silver, the maker of this inro deployed the unforgiving, painstaking togidashi maki-e flat-polished technique to create a lively image of a plump horned goat. The creature’s horns, eyes, nostrils, and cloven hooves are fantastically emphasised. Plume grasses, bending in a gentle autumn breeze, are shown on the reverse.
Inro depicting a single zodiac animal, or indeed any single animal, are relatively rare. This example would beautifully complement a wood goat netsuke by Kokei of Ise Province (see lot 194) or a similar nineteenth-century master.
Lot 112
A Rare Lacquered Cherry-Bark Wood Two-Case Inro
Lot 112. A Rare Lacquered Cherry-Bark Wood Two-Case Inro, By Ikeda Taishin (1825-1903), 19th century. Estimate: £1,000 - 1,500, to be sold without reserve.
Lot 112. A Rare Lacquered Cherry-Bark Wood Two-Case Inro, By Ikeda Taishin (1825-1903), 19th century. Estimate: £1,000 - 1,500, to be sold without reserve.
Eye-catching materials and textures
Decorated in gold, silver, black, and red lacquer with different seasonal flowers on each side of the variegated cherry-bark ground, this is a masterpiece from the hands of Ikeda Taishin (1825–1903), the most talented pupil of the legendary Shibata Zeshin (see lot 136). Taishin’s deft manipulation of the many new techniques introduced by his master is demonstrated in his use of tetsusabi-nuri, a simulated iron finish made from charcoal powder and lacquer. It is a small wonder that Taishin was named Teishitsu Gigeiin (Artist-Craftsman to the Imperial Household) in 1896, only five years after his master.
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