† A LACQUER FOUR-CASE INRO DEPICTING CRANES WITH EN SUITE OJIME AND NETSUKEUnsignedJapan, 19th centuryOf oval section, bearing a roiro ground sprinkled with dense gyobu nashiji and decorated in gold and colored takamaki-e to one side with three standing red-capped cranes, two of which are eating kirikane seeds from a large footed basin, and to the other with two cranes in flight amid thick swirling clouds. The interiors of rich nashiji with gold fundame edges. The matching two-part manju netsuke of circular form, similarly decorated in iro-e takamaki-e with clouds on a gyobu nashiji ground. The gold-lacquered ojime of globular form.HEIGHT 7.7 cmCondition: Very good condition with only minor wear.With an inscribed wood tomobako (storage box).Auction comparison:Compare to a related inro depicting feeding cranes, by Kanshosai Toyo, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 29 October 2021, Vienna, lot 324 (sold for 4,803 EUR).13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer’s premium – only for buyers within the EU.