Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
A pair of unsigned shakudō menuki on the Miwa theme, stylised cedars and a thread spool, attributed by the declared paper to the Gotō school, Momoyama period.
An unsigned pair of menuki, attributed to the Gotō school according to the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller. The subject is Miwa, drawn from the nō play of the same name: each piece shows two cedars (sugi) rendered as cones of tightly packed scales, almost like fruit, together with a thread spool (itowaku) whose thread escapes in a loop. They are carved fully in the round in shakudō of a deep black, without coloured inlay or gilding, with fine kebori on the turns of the thread and the veins of the scales. The tall, domed form has an archaic, original feel. The photographs show wear on the high points, polished by handling, with the engraving softened where exposed, and stable brown deposits inside the hollow backs, where the ashi survive; no breaks or cracks are visible. Dimensions according to the original seller: about 2.8 × 1.75 cm and 4 g each. Supplied with a paulownia box.
Strong points
- Uncommon subject: Miwa, from the nō theatre, with cedars and thread spool
- Very black shakudō, without gilding or iroe
- Careful kebori on the thread and on the cedar scales
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- The paper does not appear in the photographs
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not to a specific master
- The original seller considers that the back construction points rather to mid-Edo than to Momoyama
- Visible wear on the high points and kebori softened by use
Score
53 / 100
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 9 of 18 Visible wear
- Period 11 of 12 Momoyama (1573–1615)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 10 of 10 Rank 1 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
- Maker
- Gotō
- Period
- Momoyama (1573–1615)
- Material
- Shakudō
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Unsigned (mumei)
- School
- Gotō
- Technique
- Kebori (line engraving), Other technique
- Dating
- Momoyama period (late 16th – early 17th century)