NH-0625 Rank 243
Menuki · Ko-Mino
An unsigned pair of Ko-Mino school menuki depicting autumn grasses in high-relief, deeply pierced yamagane, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
An unsigned (mumei) pair of menuki attributed by the NBTHK paper to the Ko-Mino school, one of the oldest fittings workshops of Mino province. The subject is akikusa, the grasses and flowers of autumn: two kikyō bellflowers sit at the centre of each piece, surrounded by five-petalled blossoms, leaves and tendrils interlaced with the deep openwork typical of the school. According to the paper they are carved in katachibori on yamagane, with dewdrops inlaid in silver; in the photographs these drops appear as small raised dots, now darkened by the patina. The carving is vigorous, in high relief and well composed. The photographs show a dark, consistent patina, with high points polished by handling and stable greenish traces in the recesses; no breaks or cracks are visible. The backs are hollow, with remains of the original filling and, on one piece, a copper block serving as the ashi. The original seller gives a width of about 4.8 cm for each piece and presents them in a paulownia box. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper dated January 2014.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2014)
- Ko-Mino school, among the oldest in Mino
- Akikusa with kikyō bellflowers in deep openwork
- Yamagane in katachibori with silver dew, per the paper
- Complete pair, no visible breaks
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not a maker
- The period comes from the original seller and the style; the paper does not state it
- One back carries a copper block as the ashi, possibly a replacement
- Stable greenish traces in the recesses and on the backs
Score breakdown
53.7/100
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 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 5.7 of 10 Rank 10 of 22 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest