A sheath inro containing a watch


The watch circa 1860, the inro Edo period (1615-1868) or Meiji era (1868-1912), 19th centuryThe English watch produced by John Cooper and fitted with Japanese numerals on the face, the inner case decorated with scrolling vines and a wisteria crest in gold hiramaki-e on a silver-lacquer ground, a small drawer in the reverse containing a key, the outer metal sheath decorated with scrolling vines in gold hiramaki-e on a black-lacquer ground, the corners applied with gilt-metal hardware carved with foliate scroll; fitted with a glass bead ojime and a copper match-case netsuke decorated with maple leaves in kebori, with an old leather and silk storage bag, possibly original 2 7/8in (7.2cm) long