NH-0580 Rank 169
Menuki · Ko-kinkō
A pair of shakudō menuki carved in the round with a group of hares with gold eyes, attributed by the NBTHK to the Ko-kinkō school and papered Tokubetsu Hozon.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
An unsigned pair of menuki which the NBTHK paper attributes to the 古金工 (Ko-kinkō) school, the early metalworkers who preceded the codified schools of the Edo period. The subject, titled 群兎図 (gunto-zu) on the paper, is a group of hares crowded together in full run, ears laid back and bodies interlaced in a dense, lively composition. They are worked in shakudō in 容彫 (yōbori), carving of the figure in the round, and the eyes are touched with gold in 色絵 (iroe). The photographs show the front, the profile and the reverse of both pieces: the front patina is dark and even, with the relief slightly softened by age, while the hollow reverse retains verdigris and small remnants of metal filling. The original seller dates them to the late Muromachi period, 16th century, and gives dimensions of about 3.4 × 1.4 cm. They come in a kiri box. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper bears no. 2008292 and is dated 1 April 2022.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2022) attributing them to Ko-kinkō
- Lively composition of a group of interlaced hares
- Shakudō carved in yōbori with gold eyes
- Complete pair, in a kiri box
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not an individual maker
- The dating comes from the original seller and from style; the paper does not state it
- Reverse shows verdigris and remnants of metal filling
- Relief slightly softened by wear
Score breakdown
58/100
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 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- 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 of 10 Rank 3 of 22 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest