Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shibuichi kozuka with swallows and willow in high relief with gold accents, signed and dated by Shunmei Hōgan in 1851.
Kozuka, the handle of the auxiliary knife, signed on the reverse 嘉永辛亥如月 春明法眼 (Kaei kanoto-i kisaragi Shunmei Hōgan) with the artist's kaō, which dates it to the second month of 1851. The plate is silvery-grey shibuichi, the oborogin (朧銀) mentioned by the original seller. On the front, a pair of swallows flies among the branches of a willow while a third crosses the open ground alone: the birds are in applied high relief, their plumage finely engraved and their beaks and eyes picked out in gold, while the willow leaves are rendered in katakiribori and fine kebori lines. The asymmetric, airy composition has a painterly quality typical of the period. The photographs show a dark, even patina with a few small surface spots and no visible dents or cracks. It comes in a wooden box lined with purple cloth, without inscription. The original seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, which does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Signed and dated: 1851 (Kaei 4)
- Swallows in high relief with gold accents
- Willow in katakiribori and kebori
- Asymmetric, painterly composition
- Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- The declared paper does not appear in the photographs
- Small surface spots in the patina
- The edges are not shown in close-up
Score
57.9 / 100
- Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 0.9 of 10 Rank 97 of 107 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest
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.
Details
- Type
- Kozuka
- Maker
- Shunmei Hōgan
- Period
- Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Material
- Shibuichi, Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- Inscription
- 嘉永辛亥如月 春明法眼 花押 (Kaei kanoto-i kisaragi Shunmei Hōgan kaō)
- Technique
- Takabori (high relief), Iroe (coloured inlay), Katakiribori (bevelled chisel engraving), Kebori (line engraving)
- Dating
- Late Edo period, 1851 (Kaei 4)