NH-0648 Rank 173
Kōgai · Ko-Mino
Yamagane wari-kōgai with peonies and karakusa scrolls in relief on a nanako ground, attributed to the Ko-Mino school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
An unsigned kōgai split lengthwise, 割笄 (wari-kōgai), attributed to the Ko-Mino school, 古美濃 (Ko-Mino), by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper issued in 2010. The paper describes the subject as 牡丹唐草図 (botan karakusa-zu), peonies among scrolling tendrils, and the technique as 山銅魚子地 (yamagane nanako-ji) and 鋤出深彫 (sukidashi fukabori): yamagane copper with a fish-roe nanako ground and deep relief obtained by cutting back the ground. The photographs show two peonies and karakusa scrolls within a cartouche with lobed ends on the front; the back is plain. The Ko-Mino designation covers Mino work predating the Edo period, known for robust relief and floral themes; peony and karakusa together stand for nobility and enduring prosperity. According to the original seller it measures 20.6 cm in length and 1.1 cm in width, and it is kept in a plain paulownia box without inscription. The condition shown in the photographs is good: a dark, stable patina, no active rust or visible knocks, with light wear on the highest points of the relief and on the nanako.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (no. 229226, 2010) visible in the photographs
- Attributed by the paper to the Ko-Mino school
- Wari-kōgai, the split form, less common than the solid kōgai
- Peonies and karakusa in deep relief on a nanako ground
- Dark, stable patina
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not a named master
- The Muromachi dating is declared by the original seller; the paper does not date the piece
- Light wear on the high points of the relief and on the nanako
- Plain paulownia box without an expert's inscription (no hakogaki)
Score breakdown
57.8/100
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 8.8 of 10 Rank 2 of 9 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest