Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
A pair of solid gold menuki depicting millet ears, the favourite subject of Araki Tōmei, pupil of Gotō Ichijō; one of them signed on a tanzaku plate.
A pair of menuki in solid gold, kin-muku (金無垢), carved fully in the round, katabori (容彫), with the motif of millet ears, awa-ho (粟穂): each grain is modelled individually and the leaves curl with depth around the ears, in a mirrored composition across the two pieces. One menuki carries on its reverse a gold plate signed 東明 (Tōmei), the so-called tanzaku signature, tanzaku-mei (短冊銘), clearly legible in the photographs. Araki Tōmei (荒木東明, Araki Tōmei), born in Kyoto in 1817, trained first under Gotō Tōjō and then under Gotō Ichijō, from whom he received the art name Issai; millet ears were his speciality. The photographs show the gold with its colour intact and the grains crisp and free of knocks; the hollow interior of the reverse keeps dark deposits from use. Each piece measures about 3.9 × 1.1 cm according to the original seller, who also declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper and a plain paulownia box.
Strong points
- Solid gold, kin-muku (金無垢), carved fully in the round
- Signature 東明 (Tōmei) legible on a tanzaku plate
- Millet ears, the subject for which the maker is best known
- Grains modelled one by one, crisp and without noticeable wear
- Maker trained in the workshop of Gotō Ichijō
Points to bear in mind
- The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper is declared by the original seller and does not appear in the photographs
- Only one of the two menuki is signed, as is usual for a pair
- Dark deposits inside the hollow reverse
- The paulownia box bears no expert inscription
Score
57.3 / 100
- Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable 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 0.3 of 10 Rank 33 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
- Araki Tōmei
- Period
- Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Material
- Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Gotō
- Inscription
- 東明 (Araki Tōmei)
- Technique
- Other technique
- Dating
- Late Edo period (19th century)