An Early Victorian Japanese Shakudo Fan Necklace, Circa 1890

[Bazza]

An email just in offers a Meiji period necklace:

 

http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/an-early-victorian-Japanese-shakudo-fan-necklace,-391-c-0de4653915?utm_source=house&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=exclusive&utm_content=the101116

 

I draw attention to this as a possible example of tosogu artisan transition from making sword fittings.  I did hear at one time of an offshoot of Natsuo's school working somewhere in Australia, no doubt in one of the capital cities.  So that is a latent interest in the back of my mind, but I've never found any concrete evidence of such work being done here, apart from a good silver plate with shakudo and shibuichi decoration found in Sydney by a friend decades ago.

 

BaZZa.

[Greg F]

Gday Bazza,

 

Thats a very interesting piece, ive never seen anything like it. Im sure your lovely wife would love them for xmas lol.

If they do live in OZ it would be cool to get something commissioned for my Missus maybe. She does like shiny things.

Cheers.

 

Greg

[Geraint]

Dear Bazza.  

 

Interesting example but when I look as closely as the rubbish photos will allow I think I see that the smaller links are identical except that the silver and gold cranes are reversed.  I am guessing that this makes them stampings rather than anything more significant.  I have a menu holder from the period which looks the business but is a stamping so my guess is that the vogue in the West for Japanese metalwork was serviced partly by tosogu craftsmen who transferred their skills and partly by entrepreneurs who used more industrial techniques to supply the demand.  My Father in law collected vesta cases and had a superb Japanese one which was clearly worked by a tosogu artist.  The case was iron with a crane among rocks and plants in top quality soft metal.  Alas not even a photo survives as he sold the collection at auction.

 

All the best.

[SalaMarcos]

Very interesting. Thank you very much.