Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Unsigned pair of shakudō menuki attributed to the Ko-Kinkō school, each carved in the round with three rinpō (Buddhist Wheels of the Law); early Edo according to the original seller.
Unsigned (mumei) pair of menuki that the original seller attributes to the Ko-Kinkō school, the early metalworkers who preceded the great Edo traditions. Each piece shows three rinpō, the eight-pointed Buddhist Wheel of the Law, set in a row with the central wheel raised above the others, an arrangement often associated with early work. They are made of shakudō in katachibori (carving in the round): under magnification the petal crowns, the granulated ring and the hub spokes reveal the marks of the chisel, evidence of patient handwork. The edges show a high, well-modelled relief and the reverse a thin, careful hollowing. The photographs show a dark, even patina with no rust or knocks; on the reverse the central foot is a copper stub that the seller considers probably later. Declared dimensions: 3.68 × 1.62 × 0.62 cm for the omote and 3.56 × 1.48 × 0.56 cm for the ura. The original seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper and a paulownia box; the paper does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Early and uncommon subject: three rinpō, the Buddhist Wheel of the Law
- Shakudō carved in the round with visible hand chiselling
- Finely and carefully hollowed reverse
- Even dark patina, no visible rust or knocks
- Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the Ko-Kinkō attribution is to a school, not to a maker
- The central foot on the reverse may be a later addition, according to the seller
- The declared paper does not appear in the photographs
- Dating by style: the seller hesitates between late Muromachi and early Edo
Score
55.4 / 100
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 9.4 of 10 Rank 3 of 34 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest
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.
Details
- Type
- Menuki
- School
- Ko-Kinkō
- Period
- Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Material
- Shakudō
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Unsigned (mumei)
- Technique
- Other technique, Kebori (line engraving)
- Dating
- Early Edo period (17th century)