NH-0567 Rank 214
Menuki · Ko-Kinkō
Pair of shakudō menuki depicting a flowering peony branch, unsigned, with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper attributing them to Ko-Kinkō.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned pair of menuki depicting a flowering peony branch (枝牡丹図, eda-botan-zu). The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, dated 19 January 2017, describes them as 赤銅地容彫 (shakudō-ji katachibori) and attributes them to 古金工 (Ko-Kinkō), the term used for accomplished early metalworkers who belong to no specific school. A second certificate, issued by the NTHK-NPO in 2016, attributes them to Umetada Munenaga ("den") and places them in the early Edo period. The photographs show a deep black shakudō: the polished leaves carry incised veins, while the petals have a granular finish that contrasts with them; the carving is high and well rounded, with no coloured inlay. The reverse shows the hollowed back of each piece and the copper fixing posts. The patina appears original and the carving keeps its design; the edges of the reverse show wear from use. According to the original seller, they measure 12.4 × 37.4 mm and 12.1 × 36.4 mm.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, visible in the photographs
- Deep black shakudō with no sign of repatination
- Contrast between polished leaves and granular-finished petals
- High, well-rounded sculptural carving
- Second certificate from the NTHK-NPO attributing them to Umetada Munenaga
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a generic attribution to Ko-Kinkō, not to a specific maker
- The two certificates disagree on the attribution (Ko-Kinkō versus den Umetada Munenaga)
- The copper posts on the reverse may not be original
- Dimly lit photographs: fine details on the front are hard to read
Score breakdown
55.5/100
The score shares out 100 points: Maker 25 · Workmanship 20 · Condition 18 · Period 12 · Paper 10 · Extras 5 · Price 10. It is computed from the record, not from an opinion. Maker, workmanship, condition and period are judged from the photographs and the paper; price is compared only with fittings of the same type.
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 9.5 of 10 Rank 2 of 22 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest