Namikawa Yasuyuki was among the most accomplished of the cloisonné masters working in Meiji-period (1868−1912) Japan. Though his output included a variety of forms, Yasuyuki’s intricate designs, the degree of detailed enameling they required, and the time-consuming and laborious cloisonné process necessitated that he limit the size of his works. Production included boxes of differing sizes and shapes. This example is among the larger of his box forms. The repeating pattern of geometric shapes and stylized floral elements bordering the lid and covering the sides are likewise seen on other works by Yasuyuki such as tea caddies (natsume) and incense containers (kōgō), and in the banding around the shoulder, neck, and feet of vases and other vessel forms.
In the early 1890s, Yasuyuki worked with German chemist Gottfried Wagener, who was living in Kyoto. Their collaborations resulted in a number of innovative enamel techniques that appeared increasingly in Yasuyuki’s works. These innovations included larger areas of wireless monochrome enamel, the development of a true black enamel, and the use of silver and gold instead of copper or gilt wires.
Several techniques found on this box set it apart from Yasuyuki’s earlier works and prefigure his later pieces. While the border of the lid and all four sides continue his earlier treatment of employing very small stylized floral and geometric designs, the center panel exhibits some newer techniques, including an expanse of black enamel uninterrupted by wires, an application for which Yasuyuki became well known.
While he did render landscapes and natural scenery—rarely animal or figural subjects—flowers, birds, and butterflies are by far the most common motifs on Yasuyuki’s works, and a theme that evolved throughout his career. In the early years, they tended to be simple in form, rendered in flat colors with flower petals perfectly formed, identical in size and shape, and symmetrical. As his skills developed and new techniques were introduced, he portrayed the same subjects in much more naturalistic fashion. Here, the peony branches are composed with attention to their natural placement and form. Yasuyuki used variations in green tones to distinguish clusters of overlapping leaves, and graduated hues of light to dark pink are seen on the peony blossoms. Carved silver wires are used throughout the composition and are most evident in the thick outlines of the peony branches.
2025