NH-0670 Rank 319
Menuki · Gotō
A pair of shakudō menuki depicting running shishi, unsigned, attributed by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to the mid-Edo Gotō school.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
A pair of menuki depicting two shishi, the guardian lions of Sino-Japanese tradition, in full stride, one turning its head towards the viewer and the other with open jaws. They are worked in katachibori, carving in the full round, in shakudō with a deep black patina. The photographs show the mane and tail rendered in fine, regular chiselled curls, well-defined claws and a generous sense of volume, within the classical idiom of the Gotō school, purveyors of fittings to the shogunal house. The pieces are unsigned (mumei). The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu certificate, issued in 2015, describes them as shishi-zu menuki on shakudō-ji, unsigned, and attributes them to the Gotō school of the mid-Edo period. As for condition, the photographs show a consistent patina with light wear sheen on the highest points, some old grime in the recesses of the carving, and complete reverses retaining their fixing tubes, with no visible cracks or knocks. According to the original seller, they are kept in a paulownia wood box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2015)
- Paper attribution to the Gotō school, mid-Edo
- Shakudō with a deep black patina
- Katachibori carving with finely chiselled manes
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the paper attributes them to the Gotō school, not to a named master
- Wear sheen on the high points and old grime in the recesses
Score breakdown
49.2/100
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 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 5.2 of 10 Rank 11 of 22 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest