NH-0571 Rank 162
Fuchi-kashira · Ko-Mino
Shakudō fuchi-kashira with nanako ground and autumn grasses in takabori with gold uttori-iroe, attributed to the Ko-Mino school, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
An unsigned fuchi-kashira attributed by the NBTHK paper to the Ko-Mino school, the name given to Mino work made before or during the Momoyama period. The theme is autumn grasses (akikusa): chrysanthemums, bellflowers, leaves and dewdrops cover the whole kashira and run around the fuchi in a continuous band. The shakudō ground is worked in fine nanako and deeply cut back to leave the motifs in takabori, a hallmark of Mino carving; flowers and leaves carry applied gold foil in uttori-iroe, with a few touches of silver. The fuchi's tenjō is copper. The photographs show a black shakudō patina of original appearance, the gold well preserved with light rubbing on the high points, and old lacquer or adhesive residue inside the kashira. According to the original seller, the kashira measures 3.7 cm and the fuchi 3.8 cm, and the piece is kept in a paulownia box, visible in the photographs and uninscribed. The Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 220864, is dated 31 October 1990 and describes the piece as mumei, Ko-Mino, shakudō with nanako, takabori and gold uttori-iroe.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (1990) attributing it to Ko-Mino
- Deeply carved autumn grasses in takabori on fine nanako
- Gold uttori-iroe, an early applied-foil technique, well preserved
- Mino work of the Momoyama period or earlier
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not a named maker
- Light rubbing of the gold on some high points and on the kashira's shitodome
- Old lacquer or adhesive residue inside the kashira
Score breakdown
58.4/100
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 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 11 of 12 Momoyama (1573–1615)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 5.4 of 10 Rank 13 of 27 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest