NH-0711 Rank 337
Tsuba · Kaga kinkō
Polished shakudō tsuba with willow, swallows and jakago on the front and chrysanthemums with karakusa on the back, in takabori with gold, copper and silver; Kaga kinkō school, Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Tate-maru-gata (upright oval) tsuba in shakudō with a polished ground (migaki-ji), unsigned and attributed by the paper to the Kaga kinkō school, the metalworkers of the Kaga domain. The front shows a weeping willow with swallows in flight, a stream with three small gold motifs on the water and two jakago (riverbank stone baskets) whose lattice is rendered in gold over a copper ground; the willow buds are dotted with gold and silver. The back carries a garland of chrysanthemums and karakusa scrolls, with gold leaves and flowers in shakudō and reddish copper. The technique is takabori with zōgan and iroe, with kebori details in the water and tendrils; the rim is uchikaeshi-mimi. According to the original seller it measures 8.33 × 7.95 cm, 0.41 cm thick, and weighs 139 g. The photographs show the black shakudō patina intact, the gold without noticeable losses and light rubbing on the seppa-dai; the central opening is fitted with copper sekigane. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2001416, dated 26 February 2014, titles it 柳燕菊花唐草図鍔 (yanagi tsubame kikka karakusa zu tsuba). The original seller states that it is kept in a paulownia wood box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2014)
- Shakudō migaki-ji with a deep black patina
- Both faces decorated: willow and swallows, chrysanthemums and karakusa
- Takabori with zōgan and iroe in gold, copper and silver
- Finely worked gold lattice on the jakago
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: attributed to the Kaga kinkō school, not to a named maker
- Copper sekigane in the central opening
- Light rubbing on the seppa-dai on both faces
- Period inferred from style: the paper gives no date
Score breakdown
47.9/100
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 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 5.9 of 10 Rank 93 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest