SHISEN: A FINE GOLD LACQUER FOUR-CASE INRO DEPICTING OF A SLEEPING LADYBy Shisen, signed Shisen 芝船 saku 作 Japan, 19th centuryOf rounded rectangular form and oval section, the nashiji ground finely lacquered in gold and colored takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, and tsukegaki to depict a blissfully sleeping court lady, the facial features appearing like the Shinto goddess Okame, her right arm and head resting on a pillow and her left hand holding a fan, wearing voluminous patterned robes, a blind open behind her. The reverse with an empty black lacquer tsuigasane (table tray) and a wooden tray - indicating that the lady has fallen asleep after eating an offering of sweets. The interior of nashiji with gold fundame edges. The underside signed in tensho characters SHISEN saku [made by Shisen].HEIGHT 9 cmCondition: Excellent condition with minor wear, the interior with traces of use. Provenance: A private collection in Somerset, England.With a coral ojime of globular form.The present inro's depiction of a sleeping court lady may be a mitate allusion to The Pillow Book (Makura no soshi) by Sei Shonagon (c. 966-1017 or 1025). Sei Shonagon was a court lady and poet who served the Empress Teishi during the middle Heian period. Sei Shonagon is often depicted in Japanese art dressed in an elegant kimono and rolling up blinds, although depictions of her sleeping and holding a fan exist as well.