With the rapid development of Japanese cloisonné in the 1870s and 80s, the work of Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927) in particular exemplifies its highest artistic and technical development. Around 1878 or 1879 Namikawa met the German chemist Gottfried Wagener (1831-1892) with whose knowledge of ceramic pigmentation he was able to develop and refine his glazes in colour and texture to make both transparent and opaque glazes of faultless clarity. He took great care over his compositions and varied the standard motifs so that each piece was unique and with its own charm and character.

Namikawa won prizes at the Philadelphia World Fair of 1876, and then at the Paris World Fair of 1878, and later at the 1889 Paris Fair. He was also honoured at the series of National Industrial Expositions which was instituted in 1877. He won altogether 31 prizes at expositions both at home and abroad.


The man behind this collection was an incurable collector who loved art. He was particularly interested in the patina of objects, in multi-coloured bronzes, and in the juxtaposition of media – bronze, enamel and lacquer. He appreciated the details, intricate nature of the decoration and effort required to create each object. His aim was to create a diverse Meiji art collection, of objects created by artisans who were long gone, from a period and country very foreign to his own.

The image of the Y. Namikawa trade label and the image of Namikawa studio are for reference only and not included in this lot.