RINPA STYLE, AFTER OGATA KŌRIN (1658–1716) Japan, late 19th or early 20th century Suzuribako decorated with a full moon, autumn grasses and a hare Writing box (suzuribako) in black lacquered wood, rectangular in shape with bevelled sides. The lid is decorated in hira-maki-e and taka-maki-e techniques using gold and silver, depicting a full moon in a gradient effect rising behind autumn grasses: pampas grass (susuki), bellflowers (kikyō) and burnet (waremokō). The decoration continues onto the sides. The underside of the lid, with a nashiji background, features a crouching hare in silver lacquer outlined in gold, beside a flowering plant rendered in polychrome lacquer in orange-red and green. The interior, lacquered black with gilded borders, still holds its inkstone (suzuri) within a gilded frame and its rectangular dropper (suiteki) in silver-plated metal. Signed in gold maki-e on the reverse of the lid: 青々光琳, Seisei Kōrin (apocryphal signature). Dimensions: 21 × 18.6 × 4.4 cm. Condition: fine scratches and slight traces of a film on the lid; a small chip at one corner of the reverse of the lid; oxidation of the suiteki; signs of wear on the inkstone. Note: Seisei (青々) is one of Ogata Kōrin’s artist names; the signature ‘Seisei Kōrin’ appears on the right-hand panel of the Red and White Plum Blossoms screen (MOA Museum, National Treasure). From the 18th century onwards, lacquer artists claiming to follow in Kōrin’s footsteps, such as Nagata Yūji, signed works under his name, and ‘Kōrin-style’ lacquerware became increasingly common in the 19th and 20th centuries. The design of this box follows an ancient model, exemplified by the Kinuta suzuribako in the Tokyo National Museum: autumn grasses and a full moon on the lid, and a hare amongst the grasses inside. The full moon, the autumn grasses and the hare evoke the tradition of moon-gazing (tsukimi) and the legend of the moon hare pounding rice to make mochi. Concealed on the underside of the lid and revealed only when opened, the hare echoes the nocturnal landscape depicted on the outside.