Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Matching kozuka and kōgai with a bunch of narcissus in silver and gold takabori on shakudō nanako, signed work of Nakagawa Katsutsugu, a late Edo Tsuyama metalworker.
A futatokoro made up of a kozuka and a kōgai decorated with the same motif: a tied bunch of narcissus (suisen), mirrored on the kōgai. According to the original seller, the set is signed by Nakagawa Katsutsugu with his kaō. Katsutsugu was the eighth generation of the Nakagawa, metalworkers in the service of the Matsudaira lords of Tsuyama in Mimasaka, and the father of Shōami Katsuyoshi; he worked in a restrained, precise manner rooted in the Gotō style. The photographs show black shakudō plates with a fine, very even nanako ground, from which the bouquet rises in modelled takabori: shakudō leaves, silver flowers and binding, and gold iroe accents. The kozuka frame and the body of the kōgai are of gilt metal with a finely textured surface. The visible condition is excellent: crisp nanako, intact gilding and unworn relief. Declared dimensions: kozuka 97.6 mm, kōgai 214 mm. Presented in a paulownia box. The original seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, which does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Kozuka and kōgai pair sharing the same narcissus motif
- Silver and gold takabori on very even shakudō nanako
- Work of the Nakagawa school of Tsuyama, in the Gotō manner
- Excellent visible condition with intact gilding
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- The signature is not visible in the photographs: only the front of both pieces is shown
- The declared paper is not photographed
Score
67.5 / 100
- Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 18 of 18 Excellent 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 6.5 of 10 Rank 8 of 21 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
- Futatokoro (kozuka and kōgai)
- Maker
- Nakagawa Katsutsugu
- Period
- Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Material
- Shakudō, Gold, Silver
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Nakagawa (Tsuyama, Mimasaka)
- Inscription
- 中川勝継 花押 (Nakagawa Katsutsugu kaō)
- Technique
- Nanako (fish-roe ground), Takabori (high relief), Iroe (coloured inlay)
- Dating
- Late Edo period (19th century)