Kantei

NH-0654 Rank 262

Kozuka · Kyō-kinkō

Shakudō kozuka with a nanako ground and a gold peony-and-shishi motif, unsigned and attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to the Kyō-kinkō metalworkers.

KozukaMid-Edo (1688–1781)Mid-Edo period (18th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

An unsigned (mumei) kozuka which the NBTHK paper attributes to the Kyō-kinkō school, the Kyoto metalworkers who worked in the decorative tradition of the Gotō. The subject is 牡丹に獅子図 (botan ni shishi zu): a shishi reclining on a branch beneath an open peony, an auspicious theme joining the noblest of flowers with the guardian lion. The face is shakudō with a fine, regular nanako ground, and the motif is a kinmon, an applied gold ornament in high relief with careful chiselling of the petals, mane and tail. The border and the entire back are clad in gold (ura hokin) with a striated texture. The photographs show the nanako intact, the gold crisp with some rubbing on the highest points, and the ends undamaged; no knocks, rust or repatination are visible. The original seller places it in the middle Edo period. It holds an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, number 226496, issued on 13 December 2002, which describes it as shakudō nanako-ji, kinmon and ura hokin. It measures 9.7 × 1.5 cm according to the original seller and comes in a plain paulownia box.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2002)
  • Peony and shishi motif in gold, in high relief
  • Fine shakudō nanako ground in good condition
  • Back and border clad in gold (ura hokin)

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: the paper attributes it to a school only, not to a master
  • The period is given by the original seller, not by the paper
  • The paulownia box carries no expert inscription

Score breakdown

52.1/100

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.

  1. Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
  2. Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
  5. Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
  6. Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
  7. Price 8.1 of 10 Rank 12 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest