NH-0970 Rank 239
Menuki · Ko-Gotō
古後藤 (Ko-Gotō)
Pair of solid gold menuki depicting shishi (guardian lions), unsigned and attributed to Ko-Gotō, the earliest Gotō generations, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Pair of menuki depicting two shishi, the guardian lions, in mirrored poses, with curling manes and tails and bodies scattered with circular spots. They are worked in katachibori in solid gold (kinmuku): the figure is modelled in the round, in high relief, and the locks are chiselled with fine lines; the reverse shows the hollow inner face of the work. The pieces are unsigned. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, dated 平成二十七年三月四日 (Heisei nijūshichi-nen sangatsu yokka, 4 March 2015), describes them as 獅子図目貫 (shishi-zu menuki), 無銘 古後藤 (mumei Ko-Gotō), 金無垢地 容彫 (kinmuku-ji katachibori). Ko-Gotō denotes the work of the first three generations of the main Gotō line (Yūjō, Sōjō and Jōshin), whose formal carving style served the shogunal house for centuries. The photographs show the gold free of knocks or breaks, with the high points slightly softened by use. According to the original seller, they weigh 4.5 g and 4.8 g and are about 2.7 cm long. They are presented in a wooden box with a fabric-lined tray.
Strong points
- Solid gold (kinmuku) in katachibori, as stated on the paper
- Attributed to Ko-Gotō, the earliest generations of the main Gotō line
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper issued in 2015
- Vigorous carving of manes and tails, the two pieces mirroring each other
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: authorship is the paper's attribution to Ko-Gotō, not to a specific master
- The period is inferred from the attribution; the piece is not dated
- Light wear on the high points of the bodies
Score breakdown
54/100
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.
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- 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 0 of 10 Rank 22 of 22 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest