Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Unsigned shakudō kōgai attributed to Gotō Jōshin, with seashells and seaweed in takabori and gold iroe on a fine nanako ground. Muromachi period (16th century).
Shakudō kōgai attributed, according to the certificate declared by the original seller, to Gotō Jōshin, third head of the main Gotō line, son of Sōjō and active in the mid-16th century in the service of the Ashikaga shōgun. The piece is unsigned. On a fine nanako ground, the panel depicts seashells and conches among fronds of seaweed in high, fleshy takabori; the shells are rendered in dense gold iroe and the tips of the seaweed end in small gold beads. The head carries a scroll motif in gold zōgan, and the reverse is plain polished shakudō. The photographs show a good condition for its age: the gold on the reliefs is preserved, with a slight darkening of the nanako at the left end of the panel, a tiny greenish spot near the right edge and a fine transverse mark on the reverse. The original seller states a length of 235 mm and a width of 13 mm, an origin in Yamashiro province in the Muromachi period, a fitted paulownia box and an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate attributing it to Jōshin; that certificate does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Declared attribution to Gotō Jōshin of the main Gotō line
- High, fleshy takabori on a fine shakudō nanako ground
- Shells in dense gold iroe, well preserved
- Muromachi period (16th century), according to the original seller
- Fitted paulownia box
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: an attribution (den), not a signed work
- The declared Tokubetsu Hozon certificate is not shown in the photographs
- Slight darkening of the nanako, a small greenish spot and a fine mark on the reverse
Score
62.3 / 100
- 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 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 2.3 of 10 Rank 11 of 14 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
- Kōgai
- Maker
- Gotō Jōshin
- Period
- Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Material
- Shakudō, Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Attributed (den)
- School
- Gotō
- Technique
- Nanako (fish-roe ground), Takabori (high relief), Iroe (coloured inlay), Zōgan (inlay)
- Dating
- Muromachi period (16th century)