Beschreibung:

A SET OF TWELVE LACQUER ZODIAC INRO edo period (19th century), each signed jokasai saku A set of twelve inro of matching rounded-rectangular shape, each of four cases, each signed in gold lacquer on the underside of the bottom case, each designed with an animal representative of each of the twelve signs of the zodiac used in the calendar and each fitted with a coral bead ojime--3½in. (8.9cm.) high Rat. gold, silver, black and brown takamaki-e on a kinji ground accented with kimpun with two rats and turnips on one side and a single rat and two turnips on the other; the interior cases nashiji Ox. gold and black takamaki-e , gold hiramaki-e with details of kirigane, nashiji , and silver lacquer with an ox tethered under a leafing tree, the reverse with the pole to which the tether rope is attached, wind chimes, millet and plovers; the interior cases nashiji Tiger. gold and silver takamaki-e , kinji and accents of nashiji with a tiger walking through a grove of bamboo, the reverse designed with a section of the bamboo and two hills; the interior cases nashiji Hare. black, gold, silver and red takamaki-e with three hares carrying a large mortar for pounding mochi past a village, tranquil at night, silhouetted in a roundel and rendered in black and silver sumi-e togidashi , three additional hares carrying a large pestle on the opposite side on a matching kinji ground sprinkled with nashiji ; the interior cases nashiji Dragon. with a writhing dragon and radiating red flames encircling the inro on a ground of swirling clouds, in gold and silver takamaki-e and in red, black, silver and gold togidashi ; the interior cases nashiji Snake. in gold and silver takamaki-e on a rich, dense gyobu ground with a thick snake coiled on a pine bough, its looped tail and additional branches continued on the reverse; the interior cases nashiji , some losses and replacements to gyobu Horse. in silver and gold takamaki-e , aogai , kinji and nashiji with a saddled horse tied to a blossoming cherry tree, half of the trunk and some of the branches on the opposite side, details to the trunk in kirigane ; the interior cases nashiji Goat. in gold and silver takamaki-e, kinji and gyobu with two goats under a tree on a hillside on one side and with a single goat on the other, details in kirigane, nashiji and hiramaki-e ; the interior cases nashiji , some losses and replacements to gyobu Monkey. in gold, red and silver takamaki-e on a kinji ground highlighted with nashiji with a family of monkeys, the mother holding a peach for her young on one side, the male on the reverse; the interior cases nashiji Cock. in silver, black, gold and red takamaki-e on a kinji ground accented with hiramaki-e , silver powder and nashiji with a cockerel and hen and with a red hibiscus, other flowers and grasses on the reverse; the interior cases nashiji Dog. in gold, silver and red takamaki-e on a kinji ground embellished with nashiji with a puppy playing with a kite designed with the face of a Daruma doll, the reverse with two other puppies, one shown from the back and one shown face-on; the interior cases nashiji Boar. with a boar reclining amongst flowering grasses on a hillside and with continued grasses on the reverse, rendered in gold and silver takamaki-e on a kinji ground applied with nashiji , the interiors of the ears and mouth of the boar red lacquer; the interior cases nashiji (12)