NAMIKAWA YASUYUKI: A MAGNIFICENT BLACK-GROUND CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘WRITHING DRAGONS’ SPHERICAL JAR AND COVER

By Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927), signed Kyoto Namikawa
Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912)

Magnificently crafted, the globular body resting on a gently splayed foot and rising to a short, waisted neck with a broad mouth, fitted with a domed cover surmounted by a kiku-shaped gilt finial that matches the gilt mounts at each end of the vessel. The exterior exquisitely decorated with vibrant polychrome enamels outlined with silver wire, to depict a pair of five-clawed dragons whose sinuous, scaly bodies soar above a brilliant jet-black ground, framed with an encircling band of foliate motifs around the neck that extends onto the cover. The underside signed within a square silver plaque mounted on the base, Kyoto NAMIKAWA.

HEIGHT 9.2 cm
WEIGHT 175 g

Provenance: Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 6 November 2014, London, lot 361 (sold for GBP 8,750 or approx. EUR 14,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). A Japanese private collection, acquired from the above.
Condition: Excellent condition without any damage or restoration (checked under UV light). Only very minor manufacturing-inherent irregularities including minor pitting and some light surface scratches to the ground. The mounts with some expected general wear.

Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927) is widely regarded as one of the foremost Japanese cloisonné artists of all time. Born Namikawa Takaoka, he began his artistic career around 1868, later working for the Kyoto Cloisonné Company from 1871 to 1874 before founding his own independent workshop. He is especially noted for his technical and material innovations, including the creation of the first transparent black glaze, developed in collaboration with the German scientist Gottfried Wagener, which proved foundational for subsequent advances in transparent enamels, and refined the use of fine wirework to an exceptional degree, achieving an unprecedented level of precision and control. Over time, his decorative approach evolved from primarily ornamental compositions toward increasingly pictorial and naturalistic designs.

Namikawa achieved significant international recognition at major world expositions, receiving awards at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876 and at the Expositions Universelles in Paris held in 1878 and 1889. He was likewise honored at a series of National Industrial Expositions in Japan, established from 1877 onward, ultimately accumulating a total of 31 prizes in both domestic and international venues. In 1896, together with the unrelated Namikawa Sosuke (1847-1910), Yasuyuki was appointed Imperial Household Artist, the only two cloisonné makers to receive this prestigious designation.

Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related cloisonné enamel jar and cover, decorated with five-clawed dragons soaring above a midnight-blue ground, by the workshop of Namikawa Yasuyuki, 8.6 cm high, at Christie's, Japanese and Korean Art, 18 April 2018, New York, lot 76 (sold for USD 41,250 or approx. EUR 46,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Compare a closely related cloisonné enamel jar and cover, by Namikawa Yasuyuki, also decorated with dragons, 7 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Works of Art, 22 March 2023, New York, lot 928 (sold for USD 25,500 or approx. EUR 23,600 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).

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