Two Lives for a Thousand Inrō Lempertz Offers the Collection of Heinz and Else Kress

Over the course of decades, Heinz and Else Kress assembled one of the most extensive and remarkable collections of inrō in the world. Their passion for these Japanese lacquer boxes began in 1979 and would never leave them. The result is an impressive collection comprising around a thousand pieces. Lempertz has now been entrusted with auctioning this collection.

In Japanese society – particularly during the Edo period and continuing through the end of the 19th century – inrō, those small containers featuring the finest lacquer finish, were coveted status symbols. Men wore them on their belts to store all sorts of small items – and to signal their social standing. They were willing to pay almost any price for these accessories, which came in a wide variety of designs. Even today, these masterpieces of consummate craftsmanship continue to fascinate collectors worldwide.

It was during a trip to the United States in 1979 that the Kresses discovered their fascination with inrō. After decades of intensive collecting, the industrialists, who had made their fortunes in steel production, had become internationally respected experts on these small treasures. Their collection is one of the most comprehensive in Europe and has been exhibited in numerous museums (for example, in 1997 at the BASF Museum of Lacquer Art, in 1998 at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, and in 2007 at the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Bonn), studied by experts, and described in various publications. Although the Kresses state that they never counted their inrō, the collection comprises around 1,000 pieces, each one unique.

Lempertz has now been commissioned to auction this extraordinary collection..

The first part of the collection of around one thousand inrō will be auctioned at an evening sale on December 10 in Cologne. Among them is, for example, a rare inrō featuring butterflies and peonies against a blue background, dating from the late 19th century. The piece, which measures 7.8 centimeters in hight, is estimated at 8,000 to 10,000 euros..

This auction marks the beginning of a series of auctions that will span the coming years. These exquisite inrō will be presented both online and at live auctions accompanied by high-quality catalogs. Selected pieces will also be on display in advance at the Lempertz branches in Brussels, Munich, and Berlin. 

Following the highly successful recent auctions of Asian art, Lempertz once again demonstrates its pre-eminent position in the field of Far Eastern art in Europe with the presentation of the Kress Collection.

Jan Bykowski
Press and PR
bykowski@lempertz.com
Tel. 0049 (0)221 925729 -57