CC0 · no rights reserved
Inro (Case) with Mice and Beans
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This round inro is decorated with an image of a single mouse feasting on beans. The theme is elaborated with a metal ojime (cinch) in the form of a cloth bag tied with rope—suggesting the food stores the mouse is raiding. The carved wood netsuke, or toggle, is in the shape of a mouse clutching a nut.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineInro (Case) with Mice and Beans (鼠に豆蒔絵印籠)), late 1800s. Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912). Lacquer on wood with color and sprinkled gold powder design (maki-e); diameter: 8.4 cm (3 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of D. Z. Norton, 1916.885
