A Japanese cloisonné vase and cover by Namikawa Yasuyuki, Meiji period, the ovoid body finely worked with three sparrows flying toward trailing wisteria above other flowers, including iris, on a midnight blue ground, the collar and domed cover decorated with flowers and scrolling tendrils on a lime green speckled ground, all beneath a gilt kiku bud finial, the gilt foot with applied silver plaque, signed 'Kyoto Namikawa', height 10cm (small bruise/chip to body). Note: Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927) was born into a samurai family in Kyoto. He began his career as a cloisonné artist in about 1868 and worked with the Kyoto Shippo Kaisha (Kyoto Cloisonné Company) between 1871 and 1874, before opening his own studio. He exhibited his work, to great acclaim, at national and international expositions and in 1896 he was appointed an imperial craftsman to the Meiji emperor.