Case (Inrō) with Design of Basket of Persimmons and Monkey Eating Persimmon

Case (Inrō) with Design of Basket of Persimmons (obverse) and Monkey Eating Persimmon (reverse) is a nineteenth-century lacquer inrō with designs attributed to Mori Sosen (森狙仙, 1747-1821), held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession 29.100.845). Worked in gold and silver hirame, gold and red and coloured hiramakie, and takamakie over a red-lacquer interior, the case measures roughly 7.9 by 8 by 2 cm — a small, finely worked object designed to hang from the obi of a man's kimono. The two-sided design uses a stock Sosen motif: a Japanese macaque eating ripe persimmon fruit, paired on the obverse with a still life of the persimmon basket from which the monkey has presumably stolen its prize. The pairing is a small visual joke characteristic of late Edo design culture and characteristic of Sosen's affectionate treatment of his monkey subjects — patient observation softened by humor. As the most famous Osaka animal painter of the period, Sosen provided designs to lacquer workshops as well as painting on silk, and inrō bearing his name circulated as both luxury accessories and miniature paintings. The Met's example is in the public domain through the museum's open-access program.