NH-0675 Rank 75
Mitokoromono · Gotō Shinjō
後藤真乗 (Gotō Shinjō)
Shakudō nanako mitokoromono with turnips and camellias in takabori and gold and silver iroe, unsigned and attributed to Gotō Shinjō by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
An unsigned mitokoromono —kozuka, kōgai and a pair of menuki— attributed as a whole by the NBTHK paper to 真乗 (Shinjō), head of the main line of the Gotō school in the late Edo period. The theme, 蕪椿図 (kabu tsubaki-zu), turnips and camellias, recurs on all four pieces. According to the paper, the kozuka and kōgai are 赤銅魚子地 (shakudō nanako-ji) with 高彫 (takabori) carving and gold and silver iroe, while the menuki are shakudō carved in 容彫 (katachibori) with gold and silver iroe. The photographs show a fine, even nanako, the camellia flower in silver with a granulated centre, leaves touched with gold and the turnip in silver. The body of the kōgai and the frame of the kozuka are gold-coloured, the back of the kozuka brushed. The condition shown in the photographs is good: gilding intact on the reliefs, no knocks or cracks; on the menuki, slight wear on the high points and small spots along the edges of the backs. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, 特別保存刀装具 (tokubetsu hozon tōsōgu), no. 2004611, dated 16 March 2018. The original seller states that the set comes in a paulownia box.
Strong points
- Complete three-piece set on a single theme, attributed as a whole to Gotō Shinjō
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, visible in the photographs
- Fine, even nanako on shakudō
- Well-preserved gold and silver iroe
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the authorship is an attribution by the paper
- Slight wear and small spots on the edges and backs of the menuki
- The period is inferred from the attribution; the paper does not date the work
Score breakdown
62.9/100
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 15 of 25 Unsigned, attributed by the paper to a master
- 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 3 of 5 Adds: complete set by the same maker
- Price 6.9 of 10 Rank 5 of 14 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest