A Japanese silver mounted cloisonné enamel vase by Namikawa Yasuyuki, Meiji period, of diminuti

A Japanese silver mounted cloisonné enamel vase by Namikawa Yasuyuki, Meiji period, of diminutive teardrop form, finely worked with two sparrows and flowers on a midnight blue ground, the foot with applied silver plaque, signed 'Kyoto Namikawa', height 7.7cm. 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.