**SOLD** Three-case Ink Cake Inro with Ceramic Elephant, attributed to Ogawa Haritsu, known as Ritsuō (1663-1747)

Three-case Ink Cake Inro with Ceramic Elephant, attributed to Ogawa Haritsu, known as Ritsuō (1663-1747)

The lower two cases of the recto with a small and finely executed polychrome elephant, the verso with typical takamakie 2 character inscription which translates as “flock of geese”, surrounded by a running frieze of auspicious objects. The edges are intentionally distressed with imitation chips

Lacquered kan seal beneath. Second half 18th century

8.6 cm

With a later amber ojime and solid lacquer ink stick netsuke

Firm attributions to Ritsuō are tricky, given the influence which he had on a plethora of followers. Paul Moss’s ‘Eccentrics in Netsuke’ is no bad place in which to study the form, both for the variety of inro illustrated there, and because the Ritsuō section was a collaboration with Ted Wrangham. Two inro in particular relate to the present example, nos. 4 and 5, both sides of which are illustrated.  The latter has an inlaid elephant, clearly derived from the same source as ours, but crossing 3 cases, and I would submit executed by a different hand. The verso of the former is a variant of that which we find on ours. Wrangham and Moss conclude that both are by the same hand, which they attribute to a later 18th century follower of Ritsuō. Whether they were correct is impossible to know.

MR5014