Coming up for auction.

[echizento]

This Tsuba is one of a number of Tsuba's coming up for auction next month at Eldred's on Cape Cod. Any comments on if it's a legit or a tourist piece? It's solid silver.

[cabowen]

My first reaction is "fake"....Omori Teruhide is a big name...

[echizento]

Auction estimate is $1500- $2000.

[echizento]

Here is another with an estimate of $2500-$3500.

[Ford Hallam]

As Chris suggests it's undoubtably a fake.

 

The work is nowhere near good enough in terms of quality and the way the last kanji in the mei is cut is wrong. The right hand lower stroke doesn't hook up when Omori Teruhide signed his work.

[Antti]

Ron, here is a genuine Omori Teruhide for you, for comparison:

http://www.nihonto.com/5.10.12.html

21,000 USD.

[Soshin]

  cabowen said:

My first reaction is "fake"....Omori Teruhide is a big name...

 

Hi Everyone,

 

Seen more the a few fakes of this famous artist's work. The auction tsuba is just the newest one in a long line of fakes I have seen. The auction house should know better but chooses not to.

[echizento]

Thank you all for the info. Too bad that it's a fake, looked like a nice piece. I send an email to the auction house informing them that it isn't real, hopefully they will pull it out of the sale.

[Brian]

Surely gimei doesn't equate to fake. False signature maybe, but unless I am wrong (again) it is a competent piece.

They just need to note the signature isn't guaranteed. If all gimei were withdrawn from sale everywhere, there would be little up for sale.

Ford..can you comment on the workmanship as though it were mumei?

 

Brian

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I didn't mean it was a fake tsuba just that the signature is fake. I have seen many real tsuba with this fake signature. Having a professional like Ford to remove the fake signature would be in my opinion a good idea.

[cabowen]

To be clear, my comment that it was "fake" was addressing the veracity of the signature. "Gimei" would have been a more accurate description....

[Ford Hallam]

well I'd think it self evident it's not a fake tsuba.... :? That call would involve a debate that this community has not yet even begun to properly frame.

 

The label 'fake' in this instance must clearly refer to the suggestion the signature implies.

 

The mei, or label, chiselled into the piece is a deceit. The chiselled inscription is a lie, therefore rendering the piece a fake. The mei might be a later addition or by the original maker but either way the object is not what it is presented as. It is a fake on the basis of this very simple set of criteria.

 

If we 'remove' the 'misleading mei' we must simply asses the workmanship.

 

I find the work to be competent in a purely technical sense albeit somewhat rough in terms of finish. The design and/or composition is almost generic, or regular, and lacks any real sense of dynamics or movement. What we see is a fair bit of complexity, reasonable craftsmanship but poor expressiveness in respect of the end result. All of this points to a copyist trying to emulate the master but failing to grasp and/or able to express anything similar.

[raven2]

Thanks for your insight , Ford. It really gives a very nice insight into the piece.

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

Can't really add more to what Ford has already said. But if anyone would like to know more about Omori Teruhide or the Omori school in generally here is a good online docurment by Mike Y. and Cyrus C.: http://issuu.com/cccthoth/docs/omorarticle_3_2012. Enjoy it has many great examples to see... :D

[Surfson]

In my experience when Sotheby's or Christies list a gimei, they will list it as "signed" so and so. When they think that it is genuine they will say "by" so and so. It's subtle, but worth noting, as often their appraisers are quite good at kantei.