The Garrett Collection. Japanese Art: Lacquer, Inro, Netsuke

English text; Hardcover (with dust jacket).; 25 x 32 cm; 2.3 Kg; 325 pages with colour and black and white illustrations throughout.; Used book with signs of wear on the exterior and interior. The dust jackets shows edge wear and several scratches on the front cover, also scuffs and scratches on the spine and back cover. The spine has a sticker from an old owner glued to the bottom of the spine. Interior with minor signs of wear.;The Garrett Collection, one of the most fascinating and certainly one of the carliest American collections of Japanese art, contains a varied selection of inro and other lacquer objects from the Muromachi period (1392-1573) to the Meiji period (1868-1912). Among the artists represented is Shibata Zeshin, one of the most celebrated lacquerers of the nineteenth century, as well as members of the Koma, Koami, Kajikawa, lizuka and other families of lacquerers. Also included is the collection of netsuke, a small but interesting collection featuring a variety of subjects and styles. The last section of the book is devoted to a large collection of mask netsuke. This latter section illustrates one of the largest assemblages of mask netsuke in the West and presents entirely new scholarship to the field. The very rare and comparatively unknown private collection of lacquer, inrõ and netsuke was carefully amassed by T. Harrison Garrett and his son John Work Garrett just after Japan was opened up to the West. In 1942 the collection was left to the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. A virtually undisturbed first generation collection, it provides a valuable insight into the collecting habits of the time. Watercolour illustrations of the objects sent by John Work Garrett's trusted agent, Captain Masayuki Kataoka, for approval before purchase, all contribute to give a fascinating background. Combining their knowledge of the collection are Neil Davey, a director of Sotheby's and expert on Japanese art, and Susan Tripp, Executive Director of Old Westbury Gardens and former Director of Museums and Chief Curator for the Johns Hopkins University.…