SHIOMI MASANARI: A FINE BLACK LACQUER FOUR-CASE INRO DEPICTING A SLEEPING WILD BOAR AND SILVER MOON, WITH A LACQUERED MANJU NETSUKEThe inro by Shiomi Masanari (1647-1722), sealed Shiomi Masanari 鹽見政誠; the netsuke by Kensai Tonei, signed Kensai 賢哉Japan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Of rounded rectangular form, the superbly polished, lustrous roiro ground with sparse gold hirame, decorated in gold hiramaki-e and takamaki-e with aogai inlays to depict a wild boar sleeping amid autumnal flowers and foliage, its hooves, tusks, snout, and one eye subtly inlaid with mother-of-pearl, its fur well painted, continued on the reverse beneath the full moon in stunning silver togidashi-e. The interior of roiro with gold fundame edges. The reverse signed with two seals SHIOMI and MASANARI.The manju netsuke of circular form, bearing a rogin (shibuichi) ground decorated in gold takamaki-e with a leafy chrysanthemum, the reverse signed KENSAI. The dark lacquered bead ojime of globular form.HEIGHT 7.3 cm (the inro), DIAMETER 3.3 cm (the manju netsuke)Condition: Very good condition with minor wear. One tiny chip to the edge of one cord-runner, one small nibble to edge of one case. The manju netsuke with tiny nicks and few light surface scratches.Provenance: Ex-collection Harriet Szechenyi. Bonhams, The Harriet Szechenyi Sale of Japanese Art, 8 November 2011, London, lot 258 (sold for 3,500 GBP). A private collection in New York, USA, acquired from the above.Shiomi Masanari (1647-1722) was a talented painter of the Kano school, however he is better known for his lacquerwork and the important family of lacquerers that he founded. The Shiomi family also specialized in togidashi-e ('brought out by rubbing') lacquer of extremely high quality, as is exhibited in the present piece.Literature comparison:Compare to a closely related lacquer inro, by Shiomi Masanari, illustrated on the cover of Netsuke Kenkyukai Study Journal, Summer 1989, vol. 9, no. 2. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related black lacquer four-case inro depicting a sleeping boar by Shiomi Masanari, dated to the 18th century, lacking the aogai inlay, at Bonhams, 7 November 2013, London, lot 114 (sold for 4,000 GBP).