Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
A pair of solid-gold menuki depicting crawling dragons, unsigned and attributed by the original seller to the Ko-Gotō school, with a declared Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
An unsigned pair of menuki which the original seller attributes to the Ko-Gotō school, the term used for works of the main Gotō line, from its founder Yūjō to the fifth generation, Tokujō, when the individual maker cannot be determined. Each piece depicts a crawling dragon, 這龍 (hai-ryū), about 4.3 cm long, in solid gold, 金無垢 (kin-muku), carved in the round as an outline figure, 容彫 (katachibori). The photographs show high, lively relief: scales chiselled one by one, powerful claws, horns and whiskers in fine wire-like lines and sharply cut spiny crests. The hollow reverse reveals the early technique of working the gold from behind, with its fixing posts. Condition is good: no knocks or losses, slight softening of the high points and some staining on the reverse. They come in a paulownia box with a cushion. The original seller declares an NBTHK 特別保存刀装具 (tokubetsu hozon tōsōgu) paper, which does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Solid gold (kin-muku) in both pieces
- High-relief dragons with finely chiselled scales and claws
- Ko-Gotō school, the origin of the main Gotō line
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
- Paulownia box with cushion
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not an individual maker
- The paper does not appear in the photographs
- Staining on the reverse, probably old solder residue
Score
55.1 / 100
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- 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 2.1 of 10 Rank 27 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
- 古後藤 (Ko-Gotō)
- Period
- Momoyama (1573–1615)
- Material
- Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Unsigned (mumei)
- Technique
- Takabori (high relief)
- Dating
- Momoyama period (late 16th century)