10 - A FINE FOUR-CASE LACQUER ‘BLOSSOMING CHRYSANTHEMUMS’ INRO

A FINE FOUR-CASE LACQUER ‘BLOSSOMING CHRYSANTHEMUMS’ INRO Unsigned Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Of upright rectangular form with oval section, bearing a fine red-lacquered ground sprinkled with minute gold flakes, finely decorated in silver and gold takamaki-e with a continuous scene of chrysanthemums in full bloom behind a thick, gold-lacquered fence. The interiors finished in nashiji with gold fundame rims. With a large, finely polished agate ojime. HEIGHT 9.2 cm, LENGTH 4.6 cm Provenance: From the private collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, United States. Alan Hartman (1930-2023) was an influential American art dealer, who took over his parents’ antique business in Manhattan and established the legendary Rare Art Gallery on Madison Avenue, with further locations in Dallas and Palm Beach. His wife Simone (née Horowitz) already served as assistant manager of the New York gallery before the couple were married in 1975, and together they built a renowned collection for over half a century and became noted art patrons, enriching the collections of important museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which opened the Alan and Simone Hartman Galleries in 2013, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum in New York. Notably, they assembled an impressive collection of Japanese art, focusing on fine netsuke, inro, and lacquer. Condition: Very good condition with typical wear, a small chip to one upper cord hole, and a tiny nick to the edge of the bottom case, next to the fence. Typical minuscule nibbling to the edges of the cases.