Huge tiger menuki

[Robert Housley]

Hi everyone,

I purchased these after the fact from a dealer I met at the Chicago show. I am hoping to get some ideas on age, school, etc. They are 8cm long. My pics are huge, so I posted them to Photobucket. I hope you enjoy them.

Thanks,

Robert H.

[TosoguCz]

I can only say they are cast.

[sabi]

I can only say they are cast.

 

How so? I'm no expert and I'd love to hear the reasoning.

 

To my eye, they do look a bit odd. The detail is lacking and the overall look is strange. The proportions are a little wacky and I've never seen tiger menuki with that style of striping.

 

As far as the backs go, to my novice eye the only thing that stands out is the lack of apparent age and that it's all the same color/tone. Can someone educate me as to what else gives these away?

[Ford Hallam]

I would agree with Roman, modern cast copies with poorly considered gold plated stripes.

 

I'm afraid a post to elucidate the various details that make these observation self evident to experienced eyes would require far too much time at the keyboard...and even then be subject to armchair 'debate', so that's all I have to offer.

 

 

[nagamaki - Franco]

I'm afraid a post to elucidate the various details that make these observation self evident to experienced eyes would require far too much time at the keyboard

 

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[sanjuro]

Robert.

 

Just from an amateur tosogu guys point of view, these menuki lack crispness in the detail of heads and paws. The stripes look very connived. The design is flat and lacks any vitality. The rear side is too smooth for hand made menuki and the post is one piece with the menuki rather than being added and soldered in as it would be on hand raised and carved menuki.

 

Thats just the beginning, but enough to judge them as cast and modern.