Monkey Tsuba

[lotus]

This one looks a bit too uniform in color to me and so my first thought was whether it was modern made or not. Can anybody with more experience tell me?

 

Thoughts on a possible school and age would be welcome too.

 

Here are the dimensions (width=7.9cm, height=7.9cm, thickness=5mm)

 

Thanks!

[Curran]

Late Edo. Looks Shake-n-Baked with something odd.

Could be cast. Don't think so, though low grade.

 

Reminds me of a Hizen area school- name escapes me at the moment.

But more likey just general export or baseline fare.

[Brian]

I had the same impression.

Definitely looks like someone "enhanced" the patina with something..maybe shoe polish or oil.

Has a porous cast look about it, but not confident in that call. Scrub it with soap and water and dry well..and see what it looks like after? Make sure not to clean inside any cutout walls.

 

Brian

[lotus]

Thanks for the opinions. It is for sale actually. And yes, it just does not have that look of age to it. Perhpas a very late EDO piece that has been well taken care of or blackened with something? Maybe this is one of those made for export pieces? The scale seems odd as well. Small monkey compared to huge leaves and enormous flowers.

[christianmalterre]

Patrick,

it´s an Gibbon!

(Not an Ape-Laugh.. )

 

i actually do not really tend to fully agree with those both observations done here,even(and of course)your´s Tsuba is not really THAT i still would allow me so to look on it in an more distant,maybe calmer way...LOL!

I lost name(Ditto like Curran wrote already) of that school or style your´s Tsuba is from;however i have to confess,it´s not that bad at all of course(the workmanship)....

-about it´s "preservation" ....(I but think you can remoove that quite simply and confortable...)

 

 

Better to look at it and try to find some solutions for your´s own maybe...?

Here´s an pdf you may read before going next intended steps...

 

http://www.zora.uzh.ch/3306/2/2008_Geis ... tingsV.pdf

 

Christian

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I was looking at this tsuba and the white background and I am thinking the color balance of images are way off. To far shifted towards the blue part of the visual spectrum. I wonder what the tsuba would look like in hand under natural sunlight? Regardless the workmanship and design composition is very poor I would consider it likely Shiiremono (仕入物) work of Meiji Period.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[ROKUJURO]

Looking at the TAGANE marks near the NAKAGO ANA I have the impression that they are not smooth and even in their surface. As they are normally made with the polished tip of a tool, they should not be grainy or sandy.

 

Have a close look with a magnifying glass and in case they show a granular texture you can assume that your TSUBA was made by casting. Corrosion produces a different surface texture.