The Painted Limoges Enamels and the Seven

Transcription

The Painted Limoges Enamels and the Seven Parisian Ivory Roundels
from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection
CATALOGUE
•
14
•
CATALOGUS
Bernard Descheemaeker
with a contribution by Maria de Peverelli
The Limoges Painted Enamels and the Seven Parisian Ivory Roundels
from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection
CATALOGUE
•
14
•
CATALOGUS
Works of Art
Helenalei 7
2018 Antwerpen
Belgium
[email protected]
www.worksofart.be
for
Arthur, Louise & Kathleen
foreword — woord vooraf
catalogue 14
10-11
In August 1974 we spent our family summer holidays
in Castagnola, a picturesque village in Ticino
(Switzerland) on the shores of that oh-so enticing Lago
di Lugano (I checked with my father just to be sure).
That holiday was no different to any other in that we
always included a visit to at least one ancient church
or museum when abroad: on that particular holiday in
Lugano, we planned a trip to the Villa Favorita.
I remember it as if it were yesterday: passing
through a monumental wrought iron entrance gate
and travelling down a long driveway set in beautiful
grounds flanked by palm trees and cypresses, we
finally arrived at a grand and impressive country
palace with tall windows, a number of terraces and
a magnificent view of the lake with its turquoise
waters. It was there in that 17th century manoir that
the collection belonging to the Thyssen-Bornemisza
family was on display, a collection which, besides
that of H.R.H. the Queen of England and the Princely
Collections of Liechtenstein, is one of the three most
important private collections of European art in the
world. A local guide showed us Flemish and Dutch
masters, as well as Italian and German Renaissance
paintings, magnificent Italian bronzes and a plethora
of pieces of decorative art from the Middle Ages,
Renaissance and the Baroque. But no Limoges
enamels: they were on display in one of the rooms
of the house that were not open to the public.
The majority of paintings in the collection at Villa
Favorita was purchased by Spain in 1992 and today
forms the famed Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in
Madrid. But even then, the collection of Limoges
painted enamels escaped attention because they were
not part of the deal concluded between the Spanish
state and Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.
I also had to check my notes to corroborate the course
of events leading up to this moment: it was in June
2007 -over eight years ago- that Maria de Peverelli,
clutching several photos in her hand, approached
me to discuss the objects of the collection of
Limoges painted enamels owned by the family
heirs to the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection. This first
meeting was very special -for several reasons. First
of all, it is extremely rare for objects of such quality to
be offered for sale on the art market. And then, the
majority of the pieces -certainly the most important
ones- had been in the same collection for more than
85 years and, more to the point, it had been virtually
impossible for anyone to admire them in real life.
The condition of nearly all the plaques and the
pièces de forme was exceptionally good. Not only
that, the majority of pieces came with an excellent
provenance or had been purchased from leading,
Ik heb het voor de zekerheid bij mijn vader nog eens
nagevraagd. Het was in augustus 1974 dat we onze
jaarlijkse gezinsvakantie doorbrachten in Castagnola,
een schilderachtig dorpje in Ticino (Zwitserland),
aan de boorden van het o zo verlokkelijke Lago di
Lugano. Omdat we de gewoonte hadden, tijdens al
onze reizen, minstens eenmaal een oude kerk of een
museum te bezoeken, stond tijdens die vakantie in
Lugano de Villa Favorita op ons programma.
Ik herinner het mij nog als de dag van gisteren: via
een monumentale smeedijzeren ingangspoort en
een lange oprijlaan doorheen een prachtige tuin
met palmbomen en cipressen kwamen we aan
een groots en machtig landhuis met hoge ramen,
diverse terrassen en een schitterend gezicht op het
helderblauwe meer. In deze van oorsprong 17de
eeuwse manoir werd de collectie van de familie
Thyssen-Bornemisza tentoongesteld, welke, naast
de verzameling van de Koningin van Engeland en
die van de Fürst von Liechtenstein, één van de drie
belangrijkste privécollecties van Europese kunst
ter wereld vormde. De lokale gids toonde ons
Vlaamse en Hollandse meesters, Italiaanse en Duitse
schilderijen uit de renaissance, prachtige Italiaanse
bronzen en velerlei stukken decoratieve kunst uit
de middeleeuwen, de renaissance en de barok.
Maar niet het Limogees email ; dat stond immers
opgesteld in één van de kamers van het huis die niet
voor het publiek toegankelijk waren.
Het gros van de schilderijen van de Villa Favorita
werd in 1992 verkocht aan Spanje en vormt nu het
vermaarde Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid.
Maar ook toen bleef de verzameling geschilderd
email uit Limoges aan het oog onttrokken, want het
maakte geen deel uit van de deal tussen Baron Hans
Heinrich Thyssen en de Spaanse staat.
Ook voor het volgende heb ik mijn vroegste notities
nog even moeten raadplegen. Ruim acht jaar
geleden -men schrijve juni 2007- word ik door Maria
de Peverelli, met enkele foto’s in de hand, benaderd
omtrent de verzameling geschilderd Limogees
email in het bezit van de erfgenamen van de familie
Thyssen-Bornemisza. De eerste confrontatie met
deze schitterende stukken zal ik mij lang heugen:
objecten van deze kwaliteit worden immers maar
uiterst zelden op de kunstmarkt aangeboden ; de
meeste van deze stukken -en zeker de belangrijkstebevinden zich al meer dan 85 jaar in dezelfde collectie
en bijna niemand heeft deze ooit in werkelijkheid
kunnen bewonderen ; de toestand van het overgrote
deel van de plaketten en de pièces de forme is
ongewoon goed ; de meeste stukken hebben
schitterende provenances of blijken aangekocht bij
reputable dealers. And, above all, it was the aura of
the Thyssen-Bornemisza name, a name which in the
world of art lovers and maecenas, is on a par only
with that of the Rothschilds.
The contact and collaboration with Maria got off to
a cautiously slow start, but gradually became more
intense and more frequent. I travelled to Zürich and
London to inspect the pieces, subjected them to
close scrutiny before giving a concise description.
The various objects were given a preliminary value
assessment. A plan of action was devised: the
collection was to be presented by means of a joint
catalogue and was to be offered to the market for
sale. Finally, when the formalities were completed,
the collection was shipped to Antwerp on Monday
11 May 2015 -it was a most memorable day in more
ways than one.
It is therefore both a great honour and pleasure
for me to be able to present here and offer for sale
the Limoges Painted Enamels from the ThyssenBornemisza Collection. Having said that, the
catalogue begins with a most remarkable excursus:
namely, the Seven Ivory Roundels originating from
the same family collection. This series of miniature
ivories belongs to a corpus, comprising not more
than 65 known pieces, all of which were carved and
polychromed approximately 1400-1420 in Paris.
Moreover, the series presented here is by far the
richest and the most substantial ensemble in that
genre to remain in private hands.
This astounding collection of seven ivories and
almost twenty Limoges painted enamels can
therefore only be described as a once in a lifetime
opportunity for every collector, art enthusiast or
museum curator.
toonaangevende handelaren ; en er is vooral het
aura van de collectie Thyssen-Bornemisza, een naam
die, in de wereld van kunstminnaars en mecenassen,
enkel met die van de Rothschilds te vergelijken valt.
Het contact en de samenwerking met Maria begint
traag en aftastend, maar wordt geleidelijk aan
intenser en actiever: ik reis naar Zürich en naar Londen
om de stukken te bekijken, aan een kritisch oog te
onderwerpen en summier te beschrijven ; de diverse
objecten worden een eerste maal getaxeerd ; en het
plan wordt opgevat om de collectie, via de publicatie
van een gezamenlijke catalogus te presenteren en
op de markt aan te bieden. Uiteindelijk worden alle
formaliteiten vervuld en de verzameling verhuist naar
Antwerpen op maandag 11 mei 2015, een dag die ik
niet gauw zal vergeten.
Het is mij dan ook een grote eer en een bijzonder
genoegen om u hier het Geschilderd Email uit
Limoges uit de Verzameling Thyssen-Bornemisza te
mogen presenteren en ter verkoop aan te bieden.
De catalogus begint evenwel met een buitengewone
excursus, zijnde the Zeven Kleine Ivoren Medaillons
afkomstig uit diezelfde familie-collectie. Deze serie
miniatuur-ivoortjes behoort tot een corpus van amper
65 bekende stukken die alle omstreeks 1400-1420 in
Parijs zijn vervaardigd en gepolychromeerd. Daarbij
vormt de hier gepresenteerde reeks veruit de rijkste
en het meest aanzienlijke ensemble op dit gebied
dat zich nog in particuliere handen bevindt.
Deze sublieme collectie van zeven ivoren en bijna
twintig stukken geschilderd email uit Limoges is dan
ook een absoluut unieke kans voor elke verzamelaar,
liefhebber of museumconservator.
This catalogue, had to be written and published at
breakneck speed. The book, Emaux de Limoges de la
renaissance provenant de la collection de M. Hubert
de Givenchy, which in 1994 also had to be completed
in a short space of time, proved to be a source of
inspiration. For the Thyssen collection, however, we
wanted the catalogue section comprising the (concise)
descriptions of the individual pieces to be preceded by
two narrative rather than scholarly essays: one of which
was to be a more general overview of 16th century
painted enamels from Limoges -that I was to attend toand the other, a separate section on the history of the
Thyssen-Bornemisza collection. It was obvious that that
second part was the province of Maria de Peverelli.
De catalogus moet in een razend tempo worden
geschreven en gepubliceerd. Daarbij dient het boek
Emaux de Limoges de la renaissance provenant de
la collection de M. Hubert de Givenchy, welke ik in
1994 -ook toen al in een erg korte tijdspanne- heb
geschreven, als inspiratiebron. Voor de Thyssencollectie willen we echter het catalogusgedeelte
met de (beknopte) beschrijving van de individuele
stukken laten voorafgaan door twee meer verhalende
essays: enerzijds een algemeen, meer narratief,
overzicht van het 16de eeuws geschilderd email uit
Limoges -waarvoor ik de redactie zou verzorgen- en
anderzijds een apart hoofdstuk over de geschiedenis
van de Thyssen-collectie. Het lag voor de hand dat
Maria de Peverelli dit tweede gedeelte voor haar
rekening zou nemen.
All the pieces described in this catalogue
alongside my current collection of 15th, 16th and
Alle in deze catalogus beschreven stukken zijn, samen
met mijn huidige collectie 15de, 16de en 17de eeuws
catalogue 14
12-13
17th century Limoges painted enamels will be on
view -by appointment only- in my Antwerp gallery
from Friday 11 December 2015 to Sunday 10
January 2016.
geschilderd email uit Limoges, -enkel na afspraak- te
bezichtigen in mijn galerie te Antwerpen en wel van
vrijdag 11 december 2015 tot en met zondag 10
januari 2016.
Without further ado, I would first like to express my
appreciation of the trust Maria de Peverelli and her
assistants have put in me and to thank them for giving
me the opportunity to present, exhibit and offer this
famed collection for sale. It has been a pleasant and,
on occasion, intense collaboration with meetings at
regular intervals in Antwerp, Maastricht, Zürich and
London. A special word of thanks, of course, goes to
the Thyssen heirs who on Maria’s recommendation
have put their faith in me.
It is not possible to compile a catalogue without
the support, help and feedback from a number of
scholars and museum curators, and in that regard
I am very grateful to Manuela Beer (Cologne,
Museum Schnütgen), Monique Blanc (Paris, Musée
des Arts Décoratifs), Mélanie Kaspesczyk (Troyes,
Musée des Beaux-Arts), Véronique Notin (Limoges,
Musée des Beaux-Arts), Frits Scholten (Amsterdam,
Rijksmuseum) and Ulrike Weinhold (Dresden,
Grünes Gewölbe).
In addition I would like to take this opportunity to
thank my photographer, Joris Cerstiaens, who
devoted many a day to this project, and also, Marilyn
Zwaaf, who has been my permanent translator for
fifteen years (and who probably knows more about
Limoges enamels now than most people).
Last but not least, my special thanks goes to the
owners of the enamel casket (cat. no. A20) for giving
me their kind permission to include this object as an
addendum to both the catalogue and the exhibition.
The casket, which I purchased through a third party
in 2004 and was sold to them shortly afterwards,
likewise came from the Baron Heinrich ThyssenBornemisza collection.
Vanzelfsprekend wil ik hier, in de allereerste
plaats, Maria de Peverelli en haar medewerkers
danken omdat ze mij de kans en het vertrouwen
hebben gegeven om deze beroemde collectie
te presenteren, tentoon te stellen en ter verkoop
aan te bieden. Het was een aangename en bij
wijlen ook intense samenwerking met geregelde
ontmoetingen in Antwerpen, Maastricht, Zürich en
Londen. Een bijzondere dank natuurlijk ook aan de
Thyssen-erfgenamen die hun vertrouwen, op Maria’s
voorspraak, in mij hebben gesteld.
Het schrijven van een catalogus is niet mogelijk
zonder de steun, de hulp en de feedback van een
aantal wetenschappers en museumconservatoren.
Mijn dank daarbij aan Manuela Beer (Keulen,
Museum Schnütgen), Monique Blanc (Parijs, Musée
des Arts Décoratifs), Mélanie Kaspesczyk (Troyes,
Musée des Beaux-Arts), Véronique Notin (Limoges,
Musée des Beaux-Arts), Frits Scholten (Amsterdam,
Rijksmuseum) en Ulrike Weinhold (Dresden, Grünes
Gewölbe).
Verder mag ik niet nalaten mijn fotograaf Joris
Cerstiaens te danken, die vele dagen aan dit project
heeft gewijd, alsook Marilyn Zwaaf, die nu al vijftien
jaar mijn vaste vertaalster is (en wellicht intussen beter
met Limogees email vertrouwd is dan menigeen).
Tenslotte wil ik ook de eigenaars van het emailen
kistje (cat. nr. A20) danken die zo vrij waren om mij dit
object als addendum ter beschikking te stellen voor
zowel deze catalogus als de tentoonstelling. Dit kistje
dat ik via een andere weg in 2004 heb verworven
en kort nadien aan hen heb verkocht was immers
eveneens afkomstig uit de collectie van Baron
Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.
In contrast to all my earlier publications, I have
decided to publish the text of this catalogue in
English only. That decision was in part to prevent
it from becoming an unnecessarily unwieldy
publication but also, I felt confident that the vast
majority of my target audience has a sufficient level
of English to justify this decision.
In tegenstelling tot al mijn vorige publicaties is, in deze
catalogus, enkel de Engelstalige tekst opgenomen. Dit
heeft deels te maken met het feit dat ik de catalogus
niet nodeloos wil overladen en anderzijds omdat ik
er van uit ga dat de overgrote meerderheid van mijn
doelpubliek het Engels voldoende machtig is.
It is, therefore, my great pleasure to present to you: The
Limoges Painted Enamels and the Seven Parisian Ivory
Roundels from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection.
Graag nodig ik u nu uit om kennis te maken met
Het Geschilderd Email uit Limoges en de Zeven
Parijse Ivoren Medaillons uit de Verzameling ThyssenBornemisza.
catalogue 14
14-15
1.
Limoges Painted Enamels.
An Overview.
The Thyssen-Bornemisza collection of 16th century painted
LES AMATEURS
enamels from Limoges is composed of both plaques and pièces
de forme (which are decorative objects in the form of ewers,
Chaspoux de Verneuil, Jean-Jacques II de Mesmes and
plates, (covers belonging to) tazze or caskets); a large number
Pierre I Séguier
of which is in grisaille while the others are in polychrome. And
In 1568 an inventory was made of the collection of Anne de
as far as themes are concerned, we can identify, besides objects
Montmorency (1493-1567) -a trusted confidante of the French
with purely profane representations (e.g. The Months) and
king Henry II and for whom the castle of Ecouen (which now
scenes derived from classical mythology (e.g. Hercules), religious
houses the famous Musée National de la Renaissance) was built.
subjects from both the Old and the New Testament, as well.
It records a large number of pieces “d’émail de Limoges”, which
In view of such diversity, the present 20th century collection
includes three tazze with covers, two ewers, two salt cellars and
is in perfect keeping with the idea behind a cabinet d’amateur
a large round dish by Léonard Limosin1. Anne de Montmorency
or a cabinet d’émaux, concepts that had recurred previously in
was not alone in this: French kings likewise appear to have had
descriptions of French collections in the middle of the 16th
great interest in such precious objects from Limoges. In 1560
century.
the castle of Fontainebleau was home to several small portraits
executed in “peincture d’émail de Limoges”, while the inventory of
the cabinet d’émaux of the French queen, Catherine de Medici
(1519-1589), numbers, in addition to “trente neuf petitz tableaux
d’émail de Limoges en forme ovalle”, an additional 140 other “pièces
d’émail de Limoges”2. But even outside the boundaries of France,
enamels “façon de Limoges” appear to have been highly sought
after at that time. Lienhard Tucher (1487-1568), a wealthy
Fig.1a.
Plate: The Month of June (obverse)
Pierre Reymond, Limoges, 1565
Bernard Descheemaeker-Works of Art, Antwerp, 2015
catalogue 14
16-17
merchant from Nuremberg, subsequently commissioned a
plates with representations of The History of the Golden Fleece, a
service produced by Pierre Reymond in Limoges between 1558
unity that should, indeed, be considered as a “service d’apparat”.
and 1562, for which Wenzel Jamnitzer had initially supplied
The coat-of-arms of Jean-Jacques II de Mesmes was applied to
several silver components. That very substantial commission,
the reverse of thirteen of those Argonaut plates while the reverse
whose pieces are now dispersed over the Hans-Christoph
of the remaining 13 plates bear the coat-of-arms of his spouse,
von Tucher-Stiftung in Nuremberg and the Schatzkammer
Geneviève Dolu5. In addition to said plates -three of which
der Residenz in Munich3, demonstrates both that leading
are dated 1567 and one 1568- a large circular ewer stand (Saint
Limoges enamellers were held in international esteem, and
Petersburg, 1558), a small dish and also two plates (present
that substantial commissions could be achieved in a fairly short
location unknown), two tazze (Ecouen and Cincinnati), a pair
period of time.
of salts (Paris, Petit Palais) and an ewer (priv. coll. ; fig.2) have
The so-called Tucher service is undoubtedly the best documented
survived, all of which bear either the one or the other coat-of-
and -as far as we know- the only “foreign” commission Pierre
arms referred to above, and which may well have been executed
Reymond received, but it is certainly not the most substantial
c.1558-15686.
commission he ever obtained. Consequently, his workshop
Roundabout the same time, the workshop of Pierre Reymond
is likely to have produced as many as 50 pieces of tableware
was also active on behalf of Pierre I Séguier (1504-1580), the
with the coat-of arms of the Chaspoux de Verneuil family,
président of the Parliament in Paris, to whom he supplied a series
comprising, inter alia, one candlestick (of a pair?), a pair of
of plates with representations of The Labours of the Months7. The
tazze, a pair of salts, a large dish, a series of twelve Month plates
latter series, dated 1566, is a perfect match not only stylistically
and a series of possibly 32 Psyché plates4. Although it is highly
and iconographically, but also qualitatively, with another series
unlikely that the Chaspoux de Verneuil pieces were meant to be
of twelve Month plates executed by the same workshop in 1565
a matching ensemble, the same does not apply to a series of 26
-that is, exactly one year earlier- all of which, surmounted by a
Fig.1b.
Plate: The Month of June (reverse)
hitherto unidentified coat-of-arms8, have a banderol bearing the
of Magdalena Sibylla von Brandenburg (1586-1659), the second
motto De forti dulcedo. The ten recorded plates from that series
spouse of Elector John George I. The above does not apply,
are dispersed over various museums and private collections
however, to the “Kästlein in form einer Bündladen, darauff die Thaten
(figs.1a-1b and ill.9c-9d). The plate representing The Month of
Herculis von geschmelzter glas arbeit in Meßing eingefast ...” that is
May from that series was acquired by Baron Heinrich Thyssen-
recorded in the 1640 inventory of the Kunstkammer of the Elector
Bornemisza in the 1930’s, only to disappear from the collection
of Saxony, which is still in Dresden and is now part of the
roundabout 1951. It remains a mystery as to whether it was sold,
Grünes Gewölbe collections10. That small casket, whose original
destroyed, stolen, gifted or lost; however, it is remarkable that
mounts have probably been preserved, however, and which is
shortly afterwards (in 1957) the October plate from the same
decorated with scenes from The Life and Labours of Hercules (ill.6a)
De forti dulcedo series (cat. no.9) was added to the collection,
is closely related to the casket with Hercules representations
which might indicate that the October plate was acquired as
from the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection (cat. no. 6).
a replacement for the May plate, seeing that both originally
But Philipp Hainhofer was not only active in Dresden; he also
belonged to one and the same ensemble.
Philipp Hainhofer and Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
We can surmise that in the second half of the 16th century the
commissioners referred to above, all of whom belonged to
the highest social and financial echelons and were also closely
connected with the Court, purchased “pièces d’émail de Limoges”
in the first place as a measure of their personal prestige,
which might explain the presence of their coat-of-arms. One
possibility is that those pieces of tableware were given as ‘selfpromotional’ presents, where their coat-of-arms can be seen
to function as a perpetual reminder of and reference to the donor.
Another option is that they kept the pieces for themselves,
such precious objects served, after all, as proof to family and
friends alike to whom these were shown of their financial status
-it should be remembered that such pieces were an extremely
expensive acquisition at the time- but also as confirmation of
their cultural refinement -their modern taste- ; and not least, as
a testimony to their intellectual baggage: they were, after all,
versed in ancient mythology, classical literature and Salvation
History, well enough to understand and clarify the meaning of
the various scenes on such decorative items.
It was not until the 17th century that the ‘true’ collector, as we
understand the term nowadays, made an appearance. He was
motivated less by personal prestige, but rather sought as a true
amateur to acquire the “pièces d’émail de Limoges” for aesthetic
enjoyment and out of admiration for the technical virtuosity
of the artist. In his travel journal of 1629 Philipp Hainhofer
(1578-1647), an art dealer and collector from Augsburg, recorded
the presence of “geschmeltzte grammalierte geschirr von Limosiner
arbait” in Dresden9. It has not proved possible to identity those
pieces, which were further unspecified, with any surviving
pièces de forme, but they probably all belonged to the collection
Fig.2.
Ewer: Jupiter and the Animals
Pierre Reymond, Limoges, c.1558-1568
catalogue 14
18-19
maintained close contact with Augustus the Younger, Duke of
Frédéric Spitzer and the Rothschild family
Brunswick-Lüneburg (1579-1666), to whom in 1639 he shipped
Almost all the 200 Maleremails des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts aus
inter alia several “geschmelzte Limosiner schaalen”11. While August II’s
Limoges which are in the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum,
preference was for books, timepieces and scientific instruments,
were previously listed in the inventory of the Kunst- und
his son, Duke Anton Ulrich von Brunswick- Wolfenbüttel (1633-
Naturalienkabinett compiled between c.1776 and 178512.
1714) showed a far greater interest in paintings and works of
It is, however, highly unusual to find such a detailed historical
art. A spectacular demonstration of that interest occurred in
overview of the collection of Limoges enamels in a European
approximately 1690-1700 when he acquired from the estate of
museum. After all, in the majority of cases, the basis of the most
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605-1689), a French dealer in luxury
important museum collections of 16th century painted enamels
goods, “etliche hundert Stück des Limoneser Zeugs”, a collection which
was not acquired until the second quarter of the 19th century and
has for the most part been preserved to this day in the Herzog
almost always began with the donation or the purchase of one
Anton Ulrich-Museum in Brunswick.
or several very substantial private collections in their entirety.
Fig.3.
Book Cover: The Crucifixion
Limoges, c.1205-1220
It suffices here to refer to the enamel collections of some of the
From the 19th century onwards, however, it was essentially not
leading museums in Paris. The core of the inventory of Limoges
the royals and higher nobility who showed an interest in painted
enamels in the Musée de Cluny and the Château d’Ecouen
enamels from Limoges, but rather the extremely wealthy citizens
(Musée National de la Renaissance) was for a large part based on
who were now manifesting themselves as collectors of enamels.
the collection of Alexandre Du Sommerard (1779-1842), which
That phenomenon may for the most part be explained in the
was purchased in 1843 by the French State. In addition to
light of a variety of spectacular exhibitions with rich offerings
numerous pieces of ivory carving, earthenware, glass, furniture,
organized at the time, which enabled the general public to
medieval sculpture and arms and armour -the entire collection
become acquainted with objects which for centuries had hitherto
numbered 1434 items- there were also 123 Limoges enamels that
been hidden among church treasures and aristocratic collections.
found their way into both Paris museums. In 1901 the brothers,
For instance, in 1857 the famous Art Treasures Exhibition was held in
Eugène (1807-1886) and Auguste Dutuit (1812-1902), made a
Manchester; 1862 was the year which saw the South Kensington
bequest to the city of Paris and the Petit Palais of approximately
Museum (the present Victoria and Albert Museum) hold the
400 works of art from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance,
Special Exhibition of Works of Art of the Mediaeval, Renaissance and
which included 25 painted enamels13. Likewise, Alexandrine
More Recent Periods in London; and in 1865, Paris was the backdrop
Louise Grandjean, Charles Piet Lataudrie and the Countess de
for the Union centrale des beaux-arts appliqués à l’industrie. Those
Valencia de Don Juan contributed the core of the collection of
kinds of mega events, featuring thousands of works of art and
émaux peints de Limoges in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs . The
attracting countless visitors, may well have been instrumental
world’s largest collection of Limoges painted enamels from
in persuading wealthy enthusiasts to purchase works of art
the Renaissance is, however, found in the Louvre, a status
from the haute époque and to build up new private collections of
which would never have been achieved without the collection
Western European applied art and, likewise, have stimulated the
of enamels originating from chevalier Edme-Antoine Durand
acquisition of painted enamels from Limoges. It is in this context
(1825), Pierre Révoil (1828) and Charles Sauvageot (1856)15.
that inter alia the famous collections can be placed of Didier Petit
14
Fig.4.
Medallion: Saint Michael and the Dragon
Paris, c.1330-1340
catalogue 14
20-21
de Meurville (Paris, 1843), Baron Dominique-Vivant Brunet-
less than forty years le marchand-amateur succeeded in building up
Denon (Paris, 1846), Louis-Fidel Debruge-Duménil (Paris, 1849)
an incredibly rich and diverse collection kept in his Musée Spitzer,
Prince Alexis Soltykoff (Paris, 1861), Baron Charles de Theïs (Paris,
situated on no.33 Rue Villejuste. He was primarily interested in
1874), the Duke of Marlborough (Blenheim Castle, 1883; cat. no.
applied art -les arts industriels19. When his collection came up for
9), Aleksandr Petrovich Basilewsky (1884), Joseph Fau (Paris,
auction shortly after his decease, the catalogue listed not less
1884), Andrew Fountaine (London, 1884), Michel Boy (Paris, 1905),
than 172 painted enamels from Limoges20.
Dmitri Schevitch (Paris, 1906), Lucien Cottreau (Paris, 1910) and
A considerable number of the objects from the collections
Baron Achille Seillière (Paris, 1911).
referred to above found their way into the possession of
Two names deserve a special mention here, however. In the first
leading European museums, but, simultaneously, the first
place, the Rothschild family: various members amassed very
major American collectors discovered old West European art
rich and extremely diverse art collections which were housed in
and antiques. From the end of the 19th century onwards they
their castles and country mansions in Paris, London, Frankfurt
were to become the greatest collectors of Limoges enamels
and Vienna. Those collections would later result in a number of
and their collections, in many cases, went on to form the basis
substantial endowments, including the magnificent Waddesdon
of the inventories held by today’s leading American museums
Bequest by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to the British Museum
and institutions. The above applies inter alia in connection with
(1898)16 and the bequests by Baroness Salomon de Rothschild to
John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) and both the Metropolitan
the Louvre and the Musée de la Renaissance in Ecouen (1922)-, as
Museum of Art in New York and the Wadsworth Atheneum
well as various foundations (including i.a. the Waddesdon Manor
in Hartford21, Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919) and The Frick
Foundation ) and a number of extraordinary auctions (i.a. the
Collection22, Charles Phelps Taft (1843-1929) and The Taft
so-called. Mentmore-sale (1977)18). Besides the Rothschilds, Baron
Museum in Cincinnati23, Henry Walters (1848-1931) and The
Frédéric Spitzer (1815-1890) should certainly not go unmentioned
Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore24 and William Randolph
here, either. Born in Austria, he settled in Paris in 1852, where in
Hearst (1863-1951) and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art25.
17
Fig.5.
Pax: The Adoration of the Magi
Monvaerni master, Limoges, c.1484-1495
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Family
for sale a second time in Paris in 2009, but this time in an
As far as the post WWII years are concerned, the Limoges enamels
extended version including new acquisitions (totalling 41
collection of the Thyssen-Bornemisza family was one of only
objects) under the name of the new owners, as la collection Yves
nine substantial collections to come onto the market at that
Saint Laurent et Pierre Bergé33�. In contrast to the latter collection
time. The first extensive collection offered for sale was that of
made up of recent acquisitions only, all the plaques and pièces
Baron Max von Goldschmidt-Rothschild, which was auctioned
de forme from the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection have been in
in New York in 195026. Comprising 34 pieces, the collection was
the same family for decades. The majority of these pieces -and
considerably smaller than the circa 100 Maleremails von Limoges.
certainly the most important- were purchased over 85 years
15.-17. Jahrhundert from the estate of Alfred Rütschi that went
ago, have since then not come for sale and are therefore fresh
under the hammer in Bern (Switzerland) in 1954 . In 1977
to the market. Moreover, with the exception of a small number
Sotheby’s sold over 70 plaques and pieces of Limoges tableware
of intimi, very few people have had the privilege of viewing the
from the collection of the late 6 Earl of Roseberry . While the
pieces in real life, as a result of which they have been scarcely
collections of two former art dealers, Ernest Brummer (Zürich,
illustrated in the literature and, in many cases, (and quite
1979) and Cyril Humphris (New York, 1995) only numbered
wrongly) have simply been overlooked by the same literature.
9 and 16 lots, respectively, that of Thomas F. Flannery, which
In addition, the collection of Limoges enamels belonging to
went under the hammer in London in 1983, was slightly more
the Thyssen-Bornemisza family, together with the (original)
substantial with 18 lots of Limoges enamels31. Hubert de
Givenchy collection, are the only collections which have not
Givenchy’s collection of 24 émaux de Limoges de la Renaissance
been offered for sale to the market by an international auction
first came to the market in 199432. The collection was offered
house, but through a specialist art dealer.
27
th
28
29
30
Fig.6.
Print: The Foot-Washing of Saint Peter
Albrecht Dürer, c.1509-1511
engraving for The Small Passion series
catalogue 14
Fig.7.
Plaque: The Foot-Washing of Saint Peter
workshop of Jean I Pénicaud, Limoges, c.1520-1530
22-23
LES MAITRES
were frequently part either of a larger series or of a triptych or
polyptych. The first important enameller active in Limoges,
Marquet de Vasselot
was the so-called Monvaerni master or the pseudo-Monvaerni
But there is yet another feature which distinguishes the
(fig.5), whose work is dated to prior to the end of the 15th
collection of Limoges painted enamels belonging to the Thyssen-
century. He owes his conventional name (Notname) to the
Bornemisza family from the eight collections referred to above:
inscription: AVE MARI MONVAERNI that can be read on a small
it is the only collection which has an important number of early
triptych from the former Didier Petit and Cottreau collections
plaques and in which works of three of the most renowned
and which is now in The Taft Museum in Cincinnati35. Shortly
Limoges enamellers of “la première génération” are represented.
afterwards came the oeuvre of the -likewise anonymous- master
Indeed, the art of enamelling reached a new apogee
of the Orléans triptych, named after a small altar with The
roundabout 1500 in Limoges, having first flourished in the
Annunciation in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans. The Virgin
period 1170-1300 (fig.3). While the centre of French enamels
and Child with a Book from the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection
moved to Paris (and the Burgundian Netherlands ?) in the
(cat. no. 2) is attributed to the same master and must have been
14 and 15 centuries (fig.4), from 1470 the Limoges tradition
made in the first decade of the 16th century. It is likely that the
of enamelling experienced a new réveil. The first generation
latter composition was both a popular and a ‘commercial’ one,
of enamellers, who were active between approximately 1485
since there are six other representations known by the same
and 1530 and on which subject Jean-Jacques Marquet de
workshop to which it is closely related; the examples in The
Vasselot devoted an extensive study in 1921 , specialized in the
Wallace Collection in London (ill.2b)36 and in the Musée des
production of polychrome plaques of a religious nature, which
Beaux-Arts of Troyes (ill.2c)37 show the greatest resemblance.
th
th
34
Fig.8.
Plaque: The Agony in the Garden
workshop of Jean I Pénicaud, Limoges, c.1520-1530
Fig.9.
Print: The Agony in the Garden
Albrecht Dürer, c.1509-1511
engraving for The Small Passion series
While not one plaque by the Orléans master can be related to a
plaque portraying The Nativity (cat. no.4). Although that
concrete commission, date or commissioner, by contrast the so-
Adoration is attributed to Nardon Pénicaud in the literature,
called master of the Louis XII triptych owes his conventional
I believe, in view of the remarkable correspondences with
name to a house altar in the Victoria and Albert Museum in
the central scene on a house altar in the Musée des Arts
London, which on the wings portrays the French King, Louis
Décoratifs in Paris39, that this plaque is more likely to be the
XII (1462-1515), and his spouse, Anne of Bretagne (1477-1514) .
work of his younger brother, Jean I Pénicaud. Nardon (active:
In view of the fact that the royal couple were married in 1499
1493-1541) and Jean I Pénicaud (c.1480-after 1541) are the first
and that queen Anne died in 1514, it is possible to date the
Limoges enamellers known by name and their styles match
altarpiece to approximately 1499-1514. The Annunciation on the
very closely. All the same, the younger brother introduced a
central scene bears such a close resemblance to the Annunciation
new technical element to the art of Limoges enamelling: he
plaque in de Thyssen-Bornemisza collection (cat. no. 3) that
covered the entire copper plate with silver leaf (the so-called
both must have been made in the same workshop and probably
paillons d’argent) to which he applied translucent -that is,
about the same time.
transparent- enamel, which greatly enhanced the luminosity
The third object from the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection
of his compositions, and which, in turn, considerably
that was executed at the beginning of the 16th century, is a
heightened the appeal of his art (figs.7-8).
38
Fig.10.
A Pair of Plaques: The Good and the Bad Shepherd
catalogue 14
24-25
Pierre Reymond and Pierre Courteys
i.e. grisaille enriched with several related hues40. He executed
Roundabout 1545 the art of Limoges enamelling underwent a
various series of The Good and the Bad Shepherd (figs.10-11) in that
transformation influenced by the burgeoning Renaissance and
period, all of which are characteristic of his early years: they
the pronounced changes in taste by which it was accompanied.
consisted of plaques, usually monogrammed and often also
Polychromed plaques of a religious nature all but disappeared,
dated, which are of a sublime quality and were produced using
making way for decorative objects, predominately in grisaille,
the technique of grisaille-teintée41. The plaques of a religious
with both religious scenes and themes derived from classical
nature are, on technical, qualitative and stylistic grounds, very
mythology or ancient history. The enameller who best embodied
closely related to the small Hercules plaques belonging to the
that Wende is Pierre Reymond (c.1513-after 1584), whose oeuvre
casket in the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection (cat. no. 6) which,
is quite well known because of the unusually large number of
without doubt, must also have been executed during the early
objects he monogrammed and dated.
years of his career.
The plaques that Pierre Reymond executed c.1537-1545 are still
Even though Pierre Reymond had already produced several pièces
predominantly of a religious nature and as his palette cannot
de forme in that period42, it was not until the middle of the 16th
be described as fully polychromed nor as having pure grisaille
century that his workshop was to concentrate on the production of
tones, his technique is traditionally classified as “grisaille teintée”,
la vaiselle émaillée, which term denotes decorative items of tableware
Fig.11.
A Pair of Plaques: The Good and the Bad Shepherd
in the form of tazze, ewers and vases, plates and dishes, salt cellars,
career, Pierre Reymond showed a renewed interest in a polychrome
candlesticks, table fountains and caskets. Some were part of a
decor, which, by the way, was also manifest in the work of other
service d’apparat43, but the majority may have been intended as gifts
Limoges enamellers at the end of the 16th century (cat. nos. 13-15).
for fellow members of the aristocracy. The commissions referred
The enameller whose oeuvre compares best with that of Pierre
to above conferred by Lienhard Tucher (1558-1562), Chaspoux
Reymond is undoubtedly Pierre Courteys (c.1520-1581). He, too, was
de Verneuil (1558-1568), Pierre I Séguier (1566) and Jacques II de
active between 1544 and 1580 in Limoges and he, too, specialized
Mesmes (1567-1568), together with the De forti dulcedo plates (1565 ;
in the production of pièces de forme in grisaille, even though he is
cat. no. 9), all date from the same period, as do the two ewers with
known to have executed several polychrome plaques as well. And
Old-Testament scenes from the Thyssen collection (cat. nos. 7-8:
the same as Pierre Reymond, he, too, was in the good habit of
c.1556-1565). The many dated objects have enabled us to establish
signing many of his works with a monogram (and on occasion in
that the pieces of tableware in grisaille made between c.1555 and
full44). In contrast to that of Pierre Reymond, the work of Pierre
c.1568 are characterized inter alia by (and are recognizable by) the
Courteys shows far fewer differences in quality, and since his
presence of exuberant grotesques which are abundantly decorated
oeuvre is considerably smaller, it can be assumed that his workshop
with palm leaves, cherubs, masks, strapwork and fruit swags; all
numbered far fewer assistants. The plate in the Thyssen collection
the above in very original and decorative combinations (fig.1b). The
monogrammed PC with the representation of The Labours of the
quality is still very fine and the grisaille very brightly executed and
Month of August (cat. no. 12) illustrates one typical subtlety in the
without any secondary tinting. In the decade that followed (1568-
oeuvre of Pierre Courteys. Not only was the central scene with two
1578) it seems as if his assistants had an overriding say in the work
peasants cutting the wheat and a third binding the harvested ears
of Pierre Reymond: the grisaille became darker in tone; the quality
into sheaves derived from a particular print, but also the sign of the
lessened; and serial production predominated (cat. nos. 10-11 and
zodiac on the reverse and even the motifs of the border decoration
figs.12a-12b). It is remarkable to note that in the latter years of his
are all copied from the same model (ill.12a).
Fig.12a.
Plate: The Month of October (obverse)
workshop of Pierre Reymond, Limoges, c.1570-1575
catalogue 14
Fig.12b.
Plate: The Month of October (reverse)
workshop of Pierre Reymond, Limoges, c.1570-1575
26-27
LES MODELES
adaptations of the prints illustrated in the Grant Kalendrier
et Compost des Bergiers, first published in Paris in 149147. In the
The silversmiths in Augsburg, the tapestry weavers in Brussels
decade that followed, the period in which inter alia the De forti
and the ceramists in Urbino did not design their compositions
dulcedo plates (1565 ; cat. no. 9) and the series for Pierre I Séguier
themselves -nor did the enamellers in Limoges45. All
(1566) were made, it seems that Pierre Reymond -and apparently
representations, irrespective of whether they were multi-figure
he alone- could dispose of models which today are no longer
scenes, grotesques or arabesques were, in principle, always copied
known to us. That raises the question of whether those (unique?)
from third-party designs which the enamellers had at their
compositions were specially designed for him and whether they
disposal. It was an extremely costly business for the various
had perhaps originated in his own workshop. Subsequent to
Limoges workshops to build up an extensive and sufficiently
1570 that workshop appears to have had a marked preference
diverse corpus of prints and engravings, which meant that their
for the series of prints entitled Les Travaux des Mois by Etienne
iconographic repertoire was not very wide, as is evidenced by
Delaune (1518/1519-c.1583)48. Seeing that this (second) series by
the frequent recurrence of certain themes.
Etienne Delaune was not published until 1568, it means that all
the plates produced by Pierre Reymond after the publication
Etienne Delaune
of those engravings must have been executed during the last
As far as the iconographic filling-in of the (obverse of the)
decade in which he was active (c.1570-1580) (figs.12a and 13).
plates is concerned, The Labours of the Months is undoubtedly
Pierre Courteys also had designs by Etienne Delaune at his
the most recurrent theme in the tradition of Limoges enamels
disposal, albeit the series that he used was the latter’s first
throughout the entire 16 century . To that end, the workshop
series of prints with representations of the Months, published in
of Pierre Reymond drew on three different models. The Month
156149. In view of the fact that each of those models comprised
plates executed prior to 1562 are predominately based on
a large central representation enclosed in a wide border, in
th
Fig.13.
Print: The Month of October
Etienne Delaune, 1568
engraving for the Les Travaux des Mois series
46
which, besides a zodiac sign at the top, a variety of attributes
of a pair of hexagonal salts (totalling twelve; figs.14a-d)51 and
are featured, illustrating the labours of the month in question,
the thirteen plaques which normally decorated the sides and
Pierre Courteys has a far richer and more diverse repertoire
lid of a casket, all lend themselves perfectly to depicting the
of forms at his disposal with regard to his Month plates. The
many heroic deeds of the Roman Heracles52. In the event, the
same holds true for the August print (ill.12a) by Delaune which
“official” Twelve Labours were usually combined with scenes of
stood model for the plate monogrammed PC from the Thyssen-
other exploits attributed to Hercules; and scenes of his Birth
Bornemisza collection (cat. no. 12). Pierre Courteys’ utilized the
(fig.14d) and of his Death (fig.15) were also frequent additions
central representation on the print for the main scene on the
to the cycle.
obverse of the plate; the borders on the front feature various
It is hitherto unknown which series of models the workshop
attributes, including, sheaves of wheat, hand flails, canteens
of Pierre Reymond used for the execution of the plaques on
and fruit swags; and in the centre of the reverse, he incorporated
the Hercules caskets. Generally speaking, the literature refers
the corresponding zodiac sign, in this case, Virgo, in a grotesque
time and again to the programme of the rood screen (jubé) in
of strapwork, a mask and a cherub.
the Cathedral of Limoges (c.1533-1537) on the one hand, and to
the Hercules prints by Heinrich Aldegrever (c.1550) and Giovanni
Giovanni Andrea Valvassori
Andrea Valvassori (c.1506) on the other53. Seeing that, in respect
While The Labours of the Months are most frequently found on
of the two Hercules caskets by Pierre Reymond (Dresden, Grünes
plates, the theme of The Life and the Twelve Labours of Hercules
Gewölbe (ill.6a) and the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection (cat. no.
was especially popular as a decoration for candlesticks, salts
6)), it is the series of prints by Valvassori in particular, to which
and caskets. Undoubtedly, that has much to do with the
they appear the most closely related (ills.6b and 6e), the question
characteristic form of those pièces de forme. It goes without
arises of whether the ultimate models at Pierre Reymond’s
saying that the twelve lobed medallions on the Chaspoux de
disposal in his workshop might not have been adaptations of
Verneuil candlestick in Bern , the six lateral sides on each
the same engravings54.
50
Fig.14a.
A Pair of Salts: The Birth and the Labours of Hercules
circle of Léonard Limosin and Colin Nouailher,
Limoges, mid 16th century
catalogue 14
Fig.14b.
28-29
Bernard Salomon
medallions on the inside of those covers are extremely unusual,
The engravings by Bernard Salomon (1506-1561), published both
very pleasing and strikingly original. They were derived from
in the Biblia Sacra of Jean de Tournes (Lyons, 1544) and in Claude
prints for Aesop’s Fables, again designed by Bernard Salomon,
Paradin’s Quadrins historiques de la Bible (Lyons, 1553), were for the
published once more by Jean de Tournes, who printed several
majority of Limoges enamellers the most important models for
different editions from 1547 onwards. I know of only two
the depiction of scenes from the Old Testament.
other pièces de forme from Limoges, depicting the same simple,
Pierre Reymond may have had access to a copy of the 1556
but playful illustrations, namely, the pair of tazze with the
edition, because he had occasion to draw on prints that
Chaspoux de Verneuil coat-of-arms in Baltimore, which were
had not been included in an earlier version55. Also, the Old
probably not produced ”about 1560”56, but rather between 1570
Testament scenes on both ewers in the Thyssen-Bornemisza
and 1577.
collection (cat. nos. 7-8) were derived from engravings by
Bernard Salomon which could not have been made prior
Albrecht Dürer
to 1556. The presence of highly original and quite complex
Limoges enamellers had a far richer and more varied choice
grotesques on the collars of both ewers, and the use of rather
concerning illustrations of scenes from the New Testament,
light and soft grisaille tints confirm a dating of approximately
such as The Life and Passion of Christ or The Life of the Virgin. A theme
1556-1565. By contrast, the darker, harder rendering of the
such as the above is a rarity on pieces of 16th century tableware57,
grisaille, the lesser quality of the drawing and the abundant
but were all the more plentiful on plaques, usually belonging to
use of golden arabesques (on the inside) suggest that the two
a large series, and on altarpieces, only a few of which, however,
covers monogrammed PR (from a pair of tazze) (cat. nos. 10-
have survived (almost) intact. Several of the most famous of
11) -likewise with Old Testament scenes derived from Bernard
these are the retable of Mesnil-sous-Jumièges (c.1530), which
Salomon- were executed 10 years later.
still has its original frame58, the magnificent altarpiece for Anne
By comparison, the Fables representations enclosed in the four
de Montmorency in Ecouen (1556); the Passion retable of the
Fig.14c.
Fig.14d.
A Pair of Salts: The Birth and the Labours of Hercules
circle of Léonard Limosin and Colin Nouailher,
Limoges, mid 16th century
Basilica of Saint-Hubert (Belgium) (before 1560) which is in poor
plaques are in The Wallace Collection in London63 and the Museu
repair ; and the altar in the Tiroler Landesmuseum, Innsbrück,
Nacional de Soares dos Reis in Porto (Portugal)64. In view of the
comprising no less than 36 plaques. Another ensemble almost
strong similarities in style, quality, use of colour and size, the
as extensive in the Musée du Château in Vitré (Brittany) is the
series of three plaques from the Thyssen collection, featuring
best documented of all60.
The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem, The Agony in the Garden and The
The most popular prints for the production of such altarpieces
Supper at Emmaus (cat. nos. 13-15)65 must have been executed in
were the two series of the Passion by Albrecht Dürer61. From
the same workshop and at about the same time. While the scenes
1520 onwards Jean I Pénicaud had already begun using them
with The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem, The Supper at Emmaus (and
(figs.6-9)62 and those prints were to remain immensely popular
The Adoration of the Shepherds) were directly derived from prints
59
up right up to the 17 century. Such popularity is demonstrated
from the so-called Small Passion series, The Agony in the Garden
by a variety of very closely related series, depicting The Passion
seems more likely to have been based on a model that was, itself,
of Christ, of which the series with by far the greatest number of
an adaptation of Dürer’s composition (ills.13a and 15a).
th
Fig.15.
Plaque: The Death of Hercules
Pierre Reymond, Limoges, c.1545-1550
detail from cat. no.6
(Casket with the Life and Labours of Hercules)
catalogue 14
30-31
1 L. Mirot, L’Hôtel et les collections du Connétable de Montmorency, Paris, 1920,
p.100 ; Th. Crépin-Leblond, in: exh. cat.: 1995-1996, Ecouen, Le dressoir du
prince…, Paris, 1995, pp.104-106.
2 E. Bonnaffé, Inventaire des meubles de Catherine de Médici en 1589, Paris,
1874, p.74, nos.148-155 and p.155, no.842.
3
Ph. Verdier, The Walters Art Gallery…, Baltimore, 1967, pp.245-247 ; H. Thoma,
Schatzkammer der Residenz München. Katalog, Munich, 1970, nos.568-569
; Crépin-Leblond, o.c., p.105 ; S. Netzer, Maleremails aus Limoges…, Berlin,
1999, pp.21, 23 and 25, ill.15.
4 For more details on the Chaspoux de Verneuil objects, see: Verdier, 1967, o.c.,
nos.139-140 ; A. Faÿ, Un chandelier émaillé…, Bern, 1971 ; B. Descheemaeker,
Emaux de Limoges de la renaissance…, Paris, 1994, pp.26-45, nos.3-7 ; Netzer,
o.c., no.8 ; T. Rappé and L. Boulkina, in: exh. cat.: 2004, Limoges, Emaux limousins du Musée national de l’Ermitage…, Limoges, 2004, no.78 ; T. Rappé and L.
Boulkina, Les émaux peints de Limoges…, Saint Petersburg, 2005, no.64.
5
V. Notin, La conquête de la Toison d’Or… in: Bulletin de la Société Archéologique
et Historique du Limousin, CXXII, 1994, pp.125-129.
6 For all these objects, see: Crépin-Leblond, o.c., pp.108-118 ; Ph. Verdier, in:
The Taft Museum..., New York, 1995, pp.374-376 ; V. Notin, in: exh. cat.: 2002,
Limoges, La rencontre des héros …, Limoges, 2002, nos.21-22 ; RappéBoulkina, 2004, o.c., no.73 ; M. Beyssi-Cassan, Le métier d’émailleur…,
Limoges, 2006, pp.304-305 ; B. Descheemaeker, in: exh. cat.: 2010, Antwerp,
“Als ic can”…, Antwerp, 2010, no.18. - Regarding the circular ewer stand in
Los Angeles, see: S.L. Caroselli, The Painted Enamels of Limoges…, 1993, no.12 ;
Crépin-Leblond, o.c., p.116.
7 For this series (of which only the November plate is missing), see i.a.: Verdier,
1967, o.c., nos.142-143 ; S. Baratte, Musée du Louvre..., Paris, 2000, pp.210-214.
8
For other pièces de forme bearing the same coat-of-arms, see: Notin, 2002, o.c.,
pp.174-175.
9
U. Weinhold, Maleremail aus Limoges…, Munich-Berlin, 2008, pp.10-11.
10 Weinhold, o.c., no.3.
11 I. Müsch, Maleremails des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts aus Limoges, Brunswick,
2002, pp.11-15.
12 Müsch, o.c., pp.16-17.
13 F. Barbe, in: exh. cat.: 2002, Limoges, La rencontre des héros…, Limoges, 2002,
pp.13-14.
14 M. Blanc, Emaux peints de Limoges..., Paris, 2011, p.12.
vol. 2, nos.1-171) ; see also: Ch. Truman, Jewelry and Precious Objects, in: The
Robert Lehman Collection, XV. Decorative Arts, New York, 2012, pp.96-98.
20 17.04-16.06.1893, Paris, Chevallier-Mannheim, Catalogue des objets d’art et de
haute curiosité, antiques, du moyen âge et de la renaissance composant l’importante
et précieuse collection Spitzer, Paris, 1893, lots 417-588, pls.XIII-XVII.
21 J. Strouse, J. Pierpont Morgan… , in: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin,
LVII, 3, 2000.
22 Ph. Verdier and J. Focarino, Limoges Painted Enamels, in: The Frick Collection...,
VIII, New York, 1977, pp.1-243.
23 Verdier, 1995, o.c., pp.327-405.
24 Verdier, 1967, o.c..
25 Caroselli, o.c..
26 10-11.03.1950, New York, Parke-Bernet galleries, Important … Objets d’Art …
from the Estate of the Late Baron Max von Goldschmidt-Rothschild, 1, lots 5977 and 13-14.04.1950, New York, Parke-Bernet galleries, Works of Art … from
the Estate of the Late Baron Max von Goldschmidt-Rothschild, 2, lots 128-140,
142 and 146.
27 26-27.11.1954, Bern, Stuker, Sammlung A. Rütschi…, lots 381-479, pls.22-28.
28 20.05.1977, London, Sotheby’s, Mentmore. Catalogue of Works of Art…, 2,
pp.168-214, lots 1090-1162.
29 17.10.1979, Zürich, Koller, The Ernest Brummer Collection, 1…, lots 253-261.
30 10-11.01.1995, New York, Sotheby’s, The Cyril Humphris Collection…, lots 8-12
and 144-154.
31 01-02.12.1983, London, Sotheby’s, The Thomas F. Flannery Jr. Collection…, lots
200-217.
32 Descheemaeker, 1994, o.c..
33 25.02.2009, Paris, Christie’s, Collection Yves Saint Laurent et Pierre Bergé…, V,
lots 518-558.
34 J.J. Marquet de Vasselot, Les émaux limousins de la fin du XVe siècle et de la
première partie du XVIe. Etude sur Nardon Pénicaud et ses contemporains,
Paris, 1921.
35 Verdier, 1995, o.c., pp.335-337.
36 Inv. no. C573 (former inv. no. IIIF247) ; see: Marquet de Vasselot, o.c., I, no.65 ;
S. Higgott, The Wallace Collection…, London, 2011, no.61.
15 Baratte, o.c., pp.9-10.
37 Inv. no. 887.7.1 ; see: Marquet de Vasselot, o.c., I, no.64 and II, pl.XXII ; Higgott,
o.c., pp.194-197, ill.61.4.
16 D. Thornton, A Rothschild Renaissance. Treasures from the Waddesdon Bequest,
London, 2015.
38 Marquet de Vasselot, o.c., I, no.127 and II, pl.XLIX ; Higgott, o.c., p.201, ill.62.4.
17 M. Marcheix, Limoges … Painted Enamels, in: The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, London, 1977, pp.326-425.
18 20.05.1977, London, Sotheby’s, Mentmore. Catalogue of Works of Art…, 2,
pp.168-214, lots 1090-1162.
19 La collection Spitzer. Antiquité, moyen âge, renaissance, with an introduction
by Eugène Müntz, 6 vols., Paris, 1890-1892 (the Limoges enamels are listed in
39 Blanc, o.c., no.10.
40 Baratte, o.c., p.188.
41 For more details on the plaques of The Good and the Bad Shepherd, see: Verdier,
1967, o.c., no.130 ; B. Descheemaeker, in: exh. cat.: 1996, Namur, Emaux de
Limoges…, Namur, 1996, no.65 ; Baratte, o.c., pp.189-190 ; Rappé-Boulkina,
2004, o.c., no.72 ; B. Descheemaeker, in: exh. cat.: 2008, Antwerp, “In Grisaille
or in Colour”..., Antwerp, 2008, nos.12 and 13 ; Descheemaeker, 2010, o.c.,
no.16.
42 The above is evidenced by inter alia two tazze dated 1538 with The Banquet of
Dido and Aeneas, one in the British Museum, the other in the Victoria and Albert
Museum (see: Barbe, o.c., p.105, ill.79).
43 Crépin-Leblond, o.c..
44 This applies for instance to a large circular ewer stand signed and dated: “1568
FAICT A LIMOGES PAR P COURTEYS” in the Louvre (see: Baratte, o.c., pp.278-279).
45 The great exception here is Léonard Limosin who often designed his own compositions himself before executing them in enamel. Furthermore, there are several known engravings by him bearing his monogram (see: S. Baratte, Léonard
Limosin…, Paris, 1993, pp.22-25 ; Notin, 2002, o.c., pp.208-209).
46 Notin, 2002, o.c., pp.157-183.
55 M.C. Ross, Notes on Enamels by Pierre Reymond, in: Journal of the Walters Art
Gallery, I, 1938, p.94.
56 Verdier, 1967, o.c., nos.139-140.
57 A famous exception is the series of sixteen plates by master IC (c.1590-1600)
with scenes from The Life of the Virgin after prints by Hieronymus Wierix. The
coat-of-arms of Méry (or Méric) de Vic is illustrated at the bottom of the border
on the obverse of each plate. Meanwhile, in addition to the twelve plates hitherto
known, two other plates have come to my attention: The Rejection of Joachim’s
Sacrifice (France, priv. coll., 2010) and The Circumcision (05.11.2014, Paris,
Christie’s, lot 37). See also: Descheemaeker, 1994, o.c., no.20 ; Weinhold, o.c.,
no.13.
58 V. Notin, in: exh. cat.: 1992, Limoges, Trésors d’émail…, Limoges, 1992, no.16,
pls.12-15.
59 J. Toussaint, in: exh. cat.: 1996, Namur, Emaux de Limoges…, Namur, 1996,
no.69.
47 Caroselli, o.c., pp.108-115.
48 That series of prints from 1568 is illustrated by Notin (2002, o.c., pp.163-164,
ills.141-152) ; see also: Netzer, o.c., no.7 ; Baratte, 2000, o.c., pp.222-230.
49 That series of prints from 1561 is also illustrated by Notin (2002, o.c., pp.167168, ills.153-164).
60 Notin, 2002, o.c., p.208, note 6.
61While The Large Passion by Dürer numbers 18 scenes and must have been executed c.1508-1512 (The Illustrated Bartsch, German Artists…, New York, 1980,
nos.264-277, pp.241-254), The Small Passion from c.1509-1511 comprises 37
engravings (The Illustrated Bartsch, o.c.).
50 Faÿ, o.c. ; comp. also: Verdier, 1967, o.c., p.369, ill.37 ; Descheemaeker, 1994,
o.c., nos.14-15.
62 Descheemaeker, 2008, o.c., nos.6 and 7.
51 For a confined list of some Hercules salts, see: Verdier, 1967, o.c., pp.185-186 ;
Netzer, o.c., p.96 ; Rappé-Boulkina, 2004, o.c., no.80.
63 Higgott, o.c., no.85, pp.328-347 ; see also: I. Biron and M. Blanc, Concerning a
Mysterious Limoges Enamel Group…, in: Experts’ Meeting…, New York, 2010,
pp.97-101.
52 Barbe, o.c., pp.35-57.
53 See: Barbe, o.c., pp.38-45 ; Weinhold, o.c., pp.46-50, ills.1-7.
54 Cf. also the iconography of a baluster-shaped Salt with the Labours of Hercules
by Pierre Reymond in the Louvre (on loan to the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Limoges ; see: Barbe, o.c., no.5 and p.42, ill.17).
catalogue 14
32-33
64 G. Gentili, in: exh. cat.: 2000, Rimini, Ai confini della terra…, Milan, 2000,
no.136 ; Higgott, o.c., pp.342 and 344 ; This series comes from the Monastery of
Santa Cruz de Coimbra, where it was (most probably) mentioned in a document
dated 1752. In 1834 the plaques joined the collections of the museum of Oporto.
65 A fourth plaque from the same series, depicting The Adoration of the Shepherds,
was lost in 2001.
catalogue 14
34-35
2.
Limoges Painted Enamels
in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection.
Maria de Peverelli
Collections, like the tides of the sea, ebb and flow. This
Bornemisza (1875-1947). He was the one who acquired not only
is particularly true with collections formed over several
most of the paintings today in the Thyssen Museum in Madrid
generations. New objects are added, but some are sold or lost;
but also a large number of medieval and Renaissance sculptures,
collections are often divided by inheritance but sometimes
ivories, silver, carpets, tapestries and Limoges enamels.
new generations decide to build on the foundations they have
Part of the family archives were lost during World War II
inherited.
and what is left does not always provide full information on
The Thyssen-Bornemisza collection has just such a history. The
the provenance of these first acquisitions, making it hard to
first member of the family to show an interest in the arts was
reconstruct the pace and development of these initial collecting
August Thyssen (1842-1926), founder of the great industrial
activities. We know, however, that the collection already
empire. He fell in love with Rodin’s works at the World Expo
included at least twelve Limoges painted enamels when it was
in Paris in 1900 and commissioned seven marble sculptures
exhibited in Munich in 1930 under the name Sammlung Schloss
from the artist, two of which can still be admired on the ground
Rohoncz, after Heinrich’s Hungarian wife’s castle. Between
floor of Schloss Landsberg, the first large family home in the
inventory numbers 40 and 51 the exhibition catalogue lists in
Ruhr (Germany), furnished by August according to the taste for
fact seven plaques (one of which is a pair), two plates, two large
copies from the antique .
dishes and two caskets. The catalogue also provides information
1
on the provenance of the various pieces indicating that ten out
The real collection took shape during the following generation
of twelve came from two of the most important German private
with August’s son, Heinrich, the first Baron Thyssen-
collections of the time, recently put up for auction, those of
Fig.16
catalogue 14
36-37
Richard von Passavant-Gontard and Marczell von Nemes2.
Gabriele: the two plaques attributed to Leonard Limosin
Of these twelve items from the 1930 catalogue , four are still
depicting heads of Christ and the Virgin6 and the casket
in the collection today: catalogue no.46, the plate with The
attributed to Jean Reymond7. All were sold at auction through
Month of August attributed to Pierre Courteys (fig.16; cat. no. 12)
Sotheby’s in 1995 as part of the Bentinck-Thyssen collection8.
and catalogue nos.40, 41 and 42: three plaques representing
Of the remaining pieces, five are still with the family (the
3
respectively The Virgin and Child, The Annunciation and The
four mentioned above plus a large dish depicting the story of
Nativity (fig.17; cat. nos. 2, 3 and 4).
Laocoön9), four, including the plate with The Month of May which
In Adolf Feulner’s 1941 catalogue, published after the transfer
belonged to the same group of that with The Month of August, are
of the collection to the Villa Favorita in a purpose-built gallery
dispersed, while the second casket has recently reappeared on
designed according to von Bode’s rules , only one new purchase
the market and is presented, as an addendum, in this catalogue
is listed among the enamels, a gilded wooden frame with 23
(cat. no. A20)10.
small plaques . This, as well, is still in the collection today
Hans Heinrich was himself a very active collector. Initially
(fig.17; cat. no. 5).
he expanded the collection following his father’s taste and
4
5
interests but soon started acquiring modern art, in particular
The Baron’s father died in 1947 and left half of his collection to
19th century American paintings, Impressionists, German
his son Hans Heinrich who over time bought back as many of
Expressionists, work form the European and the Soviet avant-
the remaining half as he could from his siblings.
gardes. Decorative arts were also a great passion of his and he
Among the enamels, three, however, remained with his sister
expanded the collections of silver, renaissance and medieval
Fig.17
sculptures and carpets but also ventured into new areas such
and aristocracy from the moment that Jean de Langeac, advisor
as Renaissance jewellery, Fabergé items and 18 century snuff-
and ambassador to the King and Bishop of Limoges, introduced
boxes. To the small group of enamels he added two ewers (fig.16;
Francis I in Fontainebleau to the young enameller Léonard
cat. nos. 7-8), a pair of tazze with covers (fig.16; cat. nos. 10-11 and
Limosin (c.1505-c.1577).
16-17), a pair of candlesticks (fig.16; cat. nos. 18-19), a casket with
The request for enamels diminished around the middle of the
The Life and Labours of Hercules (fig.17; cat. no. 6), a plate with The
17th century and for about two centuries these items remained
Month of October (fig.16; cat. no. 9) and four small plaques with
with those who had commissioned them. Following the
th
scenes from The Passion of Christ (fig.18; cat. nos. 13-15) .
French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, the contents
In 1992 around 750 paintings from the collection were sold to
of many aristocratic collections appeared on the Parisian art
the Spanish government to create the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
market. These included numerous painted enamels, which
in Madrid: the rest of the collection, including the sculptures
soon found favour with collectors because of their fragility, the
and the decorative arts remained with the family and was
brilliance of their colours, and their uniqueness, but also for
subsequently divided amongst Baron Thyssen’s heirs.
the recognisability of their decorative subjects. Rediscovered
A few of the painted enamels, together with significant examples
by art dealers, painted enamels became essential elements in
from the decorative arts collection, were exhibited for a number
the interiors of connoisseurs such as Alexandre du Sommerard,
of years in the Thyssen Museum as a temporary loan. The ewers,
Horace Walpole and William Beckford, soon imitated by those
the cups and the plates with the months of August and October
collectors eager to recreate in their homes the splendours of the
(fig.16) were also published at the time by Maria Luisa Martin
Fugger or the Medici.
Anson12, but the group as a whole has never been the subject of
The extraordinary request for items of this sort, by nature unique
research, thence the importance of Bernard Descheemaeker’s
and fragile, inevitably led to the creation of fakes, subsequently
contribution to this catalogue.
sold as originals to important collectors. The incredible
11
craftsmanship of the major 19th century enamellers is confirmed
Considered the quintessential expression of French decorative
by the large quantity of pastiches created to supply the ever-
arts, Limoges painted enamels have been favoured by collectors
increasing demand. The Parisian artisans learned how to copy and
in all key periods of the history of taste. Painted enamels became
“enhance”, according to the Renaissance techniques, creating new
the most sought after of the decorative arts by the French court
compositions, true tributes to the originals or fakes tout-court.
Fig.18
catalogue 14
38-39
Between the two World Wars the interest in “eccentricities”
declined and these remained in the homes of those who had not
been forced to sell. One needs to wait until the 1960s and ‘70s to
witness the rebirth in the taste for such objects, often presented
in interiors together with modern paintings.
This is the context in which the small group of enamels in the
Thyssen-Bornemisza collection was acquired: initially by Baron
Heinrich at the time of the great sales of the 1920s and then
by his son Hans Heinrich in the Sixties and Seventies, mainly
Fig.19
through American art dealers.
the Impannate in Palazzo Davanzati in Florence. An accurate
The acquisitions of decorative arts of the first Baron Thyssen are
recreation of the decoration of that room can in fact be found in
an expression of the taste for what Henry James called the “sense
the so-called Bar room on the first floor of the Villa Favorita. This
of glory” characteristic of the houses created by the Rothschilds
is most probably a work by Carlo Bonafedi, a painter specialised
during the second half of the 19th century, and which found
in copying Florentine Renaissance masters and from whom the
their equivalents in the United States in the treasure rooms of
Princes of Prussia had already commissioned the fake pavilion
J.P. Morgan and Henry Walters, in the period rooms of Isabella
vault in the summer room on the ground floor of the Villa,
Stewart Gardner, in the French furniture and decorative arts of
signed and dated 1927. Palazzo Davanzati must have made a
Arabella Huntington, in Alva Vanderbilt’s Gothic Room or the
great impression on the Princes of Prussia not only as a decorative
Widener and Frick collections.
model of international fame but also as an expression of that
In the Villa Favorita on the shores of Lake Lugano Heinrich
particular taste they had experienced personally by mingling
Thyssen found the ideal setting for this type of interior
with artists and artisans of the time, which most probably
decoration13. Here, inherited from the previous owners, the
guided them in the acquisition of the furnishings for the Villa
princes of Prussia, Heinrich found some painted decorations, a
Favorita. Other rooms of the Villa Favorita were in fact inspired
clear expression of the impact specific Florentine renaissance
by this model following the fashion introduced by Duveen, Volpi
models had on American collectors, in this case the room of
and Wildenstein in the States and in Europe. To name just one
example: the lacunar panelled ceilings in a small room on the first
floor of the so-called Glorietta, with panels with late 15th century
Renaissance portraits in profile, most probably from Lombardy,
next to panels with coats of arms and geometric and floral motifs.
Heinrich Thyssen, whose father had already furnished Schloss
Landsberg according to the taste of the copy from the antique,
shared the princes’ decorative choices so much as to acquire
together with the Villa also part of its furnishings and continue
in the same style.
His homages to the Renaissance could be found everywhere in
the Glorietta (the small tower leading to the gallery and linked
to the Villa by a terrace) and in the Villa: busts of illustrious
men in precious marbles, Renaissance tapestries, a small marble
font, a copy from Donatello of a Madonna and Child, Italian and
German sculptures of the 15th and 16th century, furniture in the
Renaissance style. The Limoges painted enamels found their
place in a cupboard with a glass vitrine (fig.19) in the passage
between the so-called French Room and the English Room, with the
Fig.20
rest in the so-called Gothic Room (fig.20), where the fragment of a
Swiss 15th century tapestry dominated the scene, on a table next
to the fireplace and on a chest under the window.
There they remained until the closure of the Villa Favorita in 2001.
Now, following the ebb and flow of the collection, they are back
on the market.
1 Schloss Landsberg is now owned by Thyssen/Krupp and the two Rodin sculptures are on loan from one Baron Thyssen’s heirs.
9 F. Audebrand, À propos de l’artiste Jean Miette… in: Neue Forschungen zum
Maleremail aus Limoges…, Brunswick, 2004, p.30.
2
10 1930, Munich, o.c., no.50 ; Feulner, o.c., no.99.
Sammlung R. von Passavant-Gontard, (Veröffentlichung des Staedelschen Kunstinstituts, 3), Frankfurt, 1929. - 13-14.11.1928, Amsterdam, Frederick Müller
& Cie, Collection Marczell de Nemes: Tableaux, tapisseries, émaux de Limoges,
miniatures sur velin, bronze, orfèvrerie.
3 1930, Munich (Neue Pinakothek), Sammlung Schloss Rohoncz. Plastik und
Kunstgewerbe, Munich, 1930.
4
A. Feulner, Sammlung Schloss Rohoncz, III. Plastik und Kunsthandwerk, LuganoCastagnola, 1941, pp. 47-51.
5
Feulner, o.c., no.105.
6
1930, Munich, o.c., no.44 ; Feulner, o.c., nos.97-98.
7
1930, Munich, o.c., no.51 ; Feulner, o.c., no.100.
8
12.06.1995, London, Sotheby’s, The Bentinck-Thyssen Collection. lots 42, 43 and 44.
catalogue 14
40-41
11 Of these only three remain today as the fourth one, depicting The Adoration of
the Shepherds, was unfortunately lost at the time of the closure of the Villa
Favorita in 2001.
12 M.L.M. Ansón, La pervivencia del calendario medieval en el siglio XVI a través
de la obra de los principales pintores en esmalte, in: Goya, 268, 1999, pp.19-29,
figs.1-2 p.19 for October and figs.7-8 for August ; M.L.M. Ansón, La influencia
de Bernard Salomon en la obra de Pierre Reymond: a proposito de unas piezas
de la coleccion Thyssen-Bornemisza, in: Archivio Espanol de Arte, 282, 1998,
pp.128-132.
13 The only study of the interior decoration of the Villa Favorita is an article by
Annalisa Zanni (Il gusto dell’abitare di villa Favorita: un omaggio all’antico agli
anizi del Novecento, commission by the present writer for a book, unpublished,
on the Villa Favorita in the mid 1990s).
Literature
Exh. cat.: 1930, Munich (Neue Pinakothek), Sammlung Schloss Rohoncz. Plastik und Kunstgewerbe, Munich, 1930.
A. Feulner, Sammlung Schloss Rohoncz, III. Plastik und Kunsthandwerk, Lugano-Castagnola, 1941.
M.L.M. Ansón, La influencia de Bernard Salomon en la obra de Pierre Reymond: a propósito de unas piezas de la Colección Thyssen-Bornemisza, in:
Archivo Español de Arte, 282, 1998, pp.125-136.
M.L.M. Ansón, La pervivencia del calendario medieval en el siglio XVI a través de la obra de los principales pintores en esmalte, in: Goya: Revista de arte,
268, 1999, pp.19-29.
M. de Peverelli, Smalti dipinti di Limoges nella collezione Thyssen-Bornemisza: una nota a margine della storia del collezionismo, in: Scritti di museologia e
di storia del collezionismo in onore di Cristina De Benedictis, under the direction of Donatella Pegazzano, Florence, 2012, pp.225-235.
catalogue 14
42-43
3.
Catalogue.
1
SEVEN SMALL IVORY ROUNDELS
Paris
c.1400-1410
ivory, carved à jour, polychromed and
gilded
mounted on crimson coloured vellum
diam. 2,3 cm (each)
Each one of these seven small ivory plaques has an à jour (openwork) decoration, with
inv. no. DEC1525.1-7 (former inv. no. K911)
The present extremely rare ensemble is of exceptional importance for a variety of reasons.
gilding, and is richly polychromed, principally in crimson, azurite, dark blue, green,
greyish pink and violet. Four of them bear representations of seated saints, (Saint Paul,
Saint Peter, Saint John the Evangelist and Saint John the Baptist) while the remaining three
portray scenes from the life of Christ (The Annunciation, The Road to Calvary and The
Harrowing of Hell).
First of all, each of the seven reliefs has survived in excellent condition1. The minimal
damage is primarily confined to the borders. Besides, everything indicates that the
present background of crimson coloured vellum, is also the original2, which in view of
the age of these plaques and their unique nature is extremely exceptional.
Moreover, this set of seven plaques is the second3 most extensive ensemble within to a
corpus comprising a mere sixty-five, tiny, polychromed ivory4 reliefs, predominantly with an
openwork decoration -most of which are medallions- that were carved in Paris roundabout
the 1st quarter of the 15th century and have been preserved5. No more than sixteen of these are
still privately owned: in addition to the present ensemble of seven medallions, there are two
small plaques (a diptych ?) in the former Decker collection, Brussels6; two in the Thomson
collection7; one in the former Kofler-Truniger collection8; two in London9; and one in
ill.1a
Provenance
1
priv. coll., Switzerland, 1977.
15.12.1977, London, Sotheby’s, lot 28.
Hans Heinrich, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza-coll.,
1977-2002.
by descent to: priv. coll., 2002-2015.
2
3
Literature
J. Rasmussen, Untersuchungen zum Halleschen Heiltum
des Kardinals Albrecht von Brandenburg (II), in: Münchner
Jahrbuch der bildenden Kunst, dritte Folge, XXVIII, 1977,
pp.112-114, ill.68.
P. Williamson, Medieval Sculpture and Works of Art. The
Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, London, 1987, no.27.
P. Williamson, in: exh. cat.: 1991, Hildesheim,
Schatzkammer auf Zeit. Die Sammlungen des Bischofs
Eduard Jacob Wedekin. 1796-1870, Hildesheim, 1991, p.81.
F. Scholten, in: exh. cat.: 2012-2013, Rotterdam, The
Road to Van Eyck, Rotterdam, 2012, p.73.
J. Warren, Medieval and Renaissance Sculpture in the
Ashmolean Museum, 2. Sculptures in Stone, Clay, Ivory,
Bone and Wood, Oxford, 2014, p.611.
P. Williamson, Victoria and Albert Museum. Medieval
Ivory Carvings. 1200-1550, I, London, 2014, p.463.
http://www.gothicivories.courtauld.ac.uk/images/
ivory/F407F74A_c41b02b9.html.
catalogue 14
44-45
4
5
6
7
8
9
Until 1977 this ensemble comprised eight plaques. Because only a fragment of the eighth one had survived, it was simply impossible to
ascertain what it represented (Rasmussen, o.c., p.112 and p.113, ill.68). That plaque was not included in the lot that was auctioned at
Sotheby’s in London on 15 December 1977.
Also, the two à jour wings of an ivory diptych in The Wernher Collection (inv. no. EE 85 ; see: Warren, o.c., p.611) and the Descent from
the Cross roundel in Toronto (J. Lowden, in: The Thomson Collection. Medieval Ivories…, Toronto, 2008, no.38) are still mounted to their
original background of coloured vellum.
By far the richest ensemble of this type of miniature ivories is a group of no less than eighteen reliefs -a likewise combination of Seated
Saints on the one hand and scenes from The Infancy and the Passion of Christ on the other- which were mounted on a gilt-copper Processional Cross in the Treasury of the Cathedral of Burgos (see: P. Williamson, in: exh. cat.: 1997, Detroit-Baltimore, Images in Ivory…,
Detroit, 1997, p.255 and http://www.gothicivories.courtauld.ac.uk/images/ivory/018a6bd3_8abd5bd4.html).
Recent research has shown that the “ivory” pendant in the Victoria and Albert Museum -a relief that has always belonged to the core of
that group and which, indeed, must be attributed to one of the Parisian workshops specializing in the production of miniature ivorieswas not carved in ivory but in alabaster (!) (see: Williamson, 2014, o.c., no.159).
While the first publications make mention of a mere ten plaques (E. Panofski, A Parisian Goldsmith’s Model…, in: Beiträge für Georg
Swarzenski, Berlin, 1951, pp.72-73 ; J. Leeuwenberg and W.Halsema-Kubes, Beeldhouwkunst in het Rijksmuseum. Catalogus, Amsterdam, 1973, p.446), the number of pieces recorded in the inventory by Jörg Rasmussen had already gone up to 31 pieces in 1977 (o.c.,
pp.129-130, note 409 ; the seven roundels presented here are listed as numbers 25 to 31). In 2004 the known number had increased to
“près de cinquante de ces ivoires miniatures ajourés et polychromés” (Ch. T. Little, in: exh. cat.: 2004, Paris, Paris. 1400…, Paris, 2004,
p.211), while John Lowden in 2008 mentions “more than fifty such roundels” (o.c., p.115).
R. Koechlin, Les ivoires gothiques françaises, I, 1924, p.323, note 4 ; Rasmussen, o.c., p.130, note 409, nos.9-10 (and nos.22-23) ; Williamson, 2014, o.c., p.457, no.9.
Lowden, o.c., nos.37-38 ; Williamson, 2014, o.c., p.457, no.10.
H. Schnitzler, F. Volbach and P. Bloch, Sammlung Kofler-Truniger… Skulpturen, I, Lucerne-Stuttgart, 1964, no.125 ; Rasmussen, o.c.,
p.130, note 409, no.24.
P. Williamson, Medieval and Later Treasures from a Private Collection, London, 2005, no.43, p.39 ; Williamson, 2014, o.c., p.457, nos.3
and 5.
actual size
1
Belgium10. The most recent addition to this corpus is probably a double-sided plaque with
The Visitation and The Baptism of Christ which was auctioned in Paris in 200811.
Within the corpus the present seven roundels occupy a special place but for quite a
different reason. In addition to forming a very substantial ensemble, their diameter
measures only 2,3 cm, making them by far the smallest ones.
In spite of their miniature size, the quality of each one of the seven ivory reliefs is
extremely high: every detail has been painstakingly portrayed; the sculptural quality
of the diverse figures is highly tactile; each plaque has an à jour decoration; and the
polychromy and gilding have both been richly applied but with great subtlety.
Also, this ensemble comprising four seated saints and three scenes from the New Testament
is very remarkable from an iconographic point of view. Indeed, the corpus contains just a few
plaques with individual Biblical figures12 and together with the Processional Cross in Burgos,
mentioned above, and four roundels in Cologne (ill.1a)13 this is the only surviving ensemble
which comprises both plaques with individual saints and plaques with multi-figure scenes.
All the same, the corpus comprising no more than sixty-five ivories (and one small
alabaster) referred to above is probably less homogenous than it appears to be at first
sight. That is why for a long time researchers assumed that these small reliefs had been
produced over a longer time span (c.1400-1435) and in different workshops -possibly even
in different regions (Paris and the Burgundian Netherlands). Nevertheless, since a few
years and principally thanks to the publication of the so-called Pax of Marshal Boucicaut
which is in the parish church of San Lorenzo in Portovenere (La Spezia, Italy)14, consensus
was apparently reached, situating the production of this specific group of miniature
ivories “in the Parisian artistic milieu of the manuscript workshops serving Jean de France, the
Duc the Berry, and other members of the French royal court in the first two decades of the fifteenth
century”15. The above demonstrates that the series on offer here must undoubtedly have
its origins in Paris and at the beginning of the 15th century.
The abundant polychromy and gilding on the one hand, and the use of coloured vellum as
a background (and as a support ?) on the other, were possibly intended as an imitation of
contemporary translucent enamels which were far more expensive16. The majority of these
Parisian miniature ivories from approximately 1400-1420 were originally mounted in
reliquaries or served as a pendant (probably in a metal mount and covered by rock crystal),
which confirms the narrow ties and possibly even the supposed connection between this
kind of ivory carving and the goldsmiths’ work in early 15th century Paris.
10 R. Didier, Miseratio Christi…, in: Feuillets de la Cathédrale…, 13-15, 1994, pp.18-19, ill.15 ; Williamson, 2014, o.c., p.457, no.8.
11 26.11.2008, Paris, Piasa, lot 21.
12 Another plaque featuring individual Saints is in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (see: Williamson, 2014, o.c., no.159 ; see also
supra: note 4).
13 Museum Schnütgen, inv. no. B 148a-d ; cf. infra.
14 C. Di Fabio, La “Pace” di San Lorenzo di Portovenere…, in: Bollettino d’arte, suppl. to no.95, 1997, pp.137-148 ; Wiliamson, 2014, o.c.,
p.458, ill.1 ; Clario di Fabio argues convincingly in his publication that the figure kneeling at the cross represents Jean II Le Meingre, alias
Jean de Boucicaut, maréchal de France (1364-1421), who was governor over the city state of Genoa from 1401 to 1409. The unusual, but
very specific motif of the pope, who, like Longinus, is portrayed piercing through the side of Christ with a lance, allows us to date this Pax,
set in a silver-gilt frame decorated with various precious stones, to c.1405-1408.
15 Wiliamson, 2014, o.c., p.458 ; see also: Ch. T. Little, in: exh. cat.: 1999, New York, Mirror of the Medieval World, New York, 1999, p.169
(“… a group of ivories probably carved in Paris in the early fifteenth century, …”) ; H. Krohm, in: exh. cat.: 1999, Brunswick, Glanz der
Ewigkeit…, Brunswick, 1999, p.134 (“… gehört das Relief zu einer Gruppe kostbarer, miniaturhafter Elfenbeinarbeiten aus der Zeit um
1400. … Panofsky lokalisierte diese Elfenbeinschnitzereien ... sicherlich richtig nach Paris.”) ; D. Gaborit-Chopin, Ivoires médiévaux...,
Paris, 2003, p.506 (“L’attribution du médaillon du Louvre, et de ceux qui en sont tout proches, au milieu de la cour, vraisemblablement
à Paris, vers 1400 ou dans les premières décennies du XVe siècle, paraît donc justifiée.”) ; D. Gaborit-Chopin, in: exh. cat.: 2004, Paris,
Paris. 1400..., Paris, 2004, p.208 (“Plusieurs éléments permettent pourtant de placer avec certitude certains de ces ivoires à Paris, vers
1400.”) ; F. Scholten, in: exh. cat.: 2004, Cleves, Een hogere werkelijkheid…, Amsterdam, 2004, p.180 (“… een groep ivoren die in de
eerste decennia van de vijftiende eeuw werden vervaardigd, waarschijnlijk in een of enkele gespecialiseerde werkplaatsen in Parijs.”).
16 Williamson, 2014, o.c., p.461.
catalogue 14
46-47
ill.1b
1
The literature has indeed on several occasions indicated that the tradition of carving
and polychroming miniature ivory plaques is very closely related to the contemporary
Flemish-Burgundian art of goldsmithing17. There is even a wax medallion which is very
similar stylistically, and which is thought to have served as a goldsmith’s model18.
Moreover, the majority of ivories belonging to this (very limited) corpus was assumed to
have originally been intended as ornaments for reliquaries. In that connection reference
is always made to a missing Reliquien-Altärchen of Saint Nicolas and to a likewise
missing Reliquien-Monstranz, both belonging to the so-called Hallesches Heiltum19. The
monstrance was decorated with ten similar ivory roundels -four on the foot and six
on the monstrance20-, but, with regard to the seven reliefs here, it is in particular the
small Nicolas altarpiece which is of the greatest importance21. That small triptych (ill.1b)
features sixteen small ivory roundels, including -on the wings- Twelve Saints (at the top
of the left wing is recognizable inter alia Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint John the Evangelist
and Saint John the Baptist (!) (ill.1d)) and at both the top and bottom, several scenes from
The Infancy and the Passion of Christ. That (missing) reliquary is therefore on the one hand
proof that, in spite of their iconographic differences, the seven plaques on offer here
must originally have belonged to the same ensemble and on the other hand, it also gives
us an idea of what the original function of such ivory reliefs may have been. In view of
some distinct differences between the present roundels with the four saints (ill.1c) and
the corresponding plaques on the Nicolas altar of the Hallesches Heiltum as illustrated
in the codex (ill.1d), it seems highly unlikely that the one set can be identified with the
other. The other watercolours throughout the manuscript show that the copyist has at
all times represented the various reliquaries in a painstakingly accurate manner. It is
therefore highly improbably that he would fail to illustrate the Reliquien-Altärchen of
Saint Nicolas with the same quasi faultless precision.
On balance the present ensemble of seven miniature ivories is, best compared with a
series of four roundels (ill.1a) which was purchased by the Museum Schnütgen in 198722.
Those four richly-polychromed and well-preserved à jour plaques also measure a mere
2,5 cm. in diameter and they similarly portray both individual saints (Saint George and Saint
Catherine) as well as multi-figure compositions (The Calvary and The Apparition of Christ to the
Female Saints after the Resurrection). Seeing that the style and quality are very closely related
-it suffices here to refer to the similarities in the drapery of the cloaks of Saint Peter, Saint
John the Evangelist and Saint Catherine- it is, to my mind, extremely likely that the two
series were carved and painted in the same Parisian workshop c.1400-1410.
17
18
19
20
21
22
catalogue 14
48-49
See i.a.: T. Müller and E. Steingräber, Die französische Goldemailplastik um 1400, in: Münchner Jahrbuch der bildenden Kunst, dritte
Folge, V, 1954, pp.29-79.
See: E. Panofski, o.c., pp.70-84, ill.2 ; The resemblance to the corpus of miniature ivories referred to here was so convincing that prevailing opinion was that this medallion was not modelled in wax but had been carved in ivory, which also explains why Raymond Koechlin
included and illustrated it in his Les ivoires gothiques français (o.c., II, no.869 and III, pl.CLVII).
The so-called Hallesches Heiltum is the collection of reliquaries and goldsmiths’ work that Cardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg (14901545) kept in his residence in Halle (Germany). Almost all these works of art went missing, but a superbly illustrated Codex has survived,
which inventories and illustrates a substantial number of these pieces (see: Das Hallesche Heiltum. …, publ. by Ph. M. Halm and R.
Berliner, Berlin, 1931).
Halm-Berliner, o.c., pl.142b, no.281, p.59 ; Rasmussen, o.c., pp.109-110, ill.64 ; Of these ten small ivory plaques it is possible that three
have survived, namely, a Deposition in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (see: Halm-Berliner, o.c., p.59 ; Rasmussen, o.c., p.130,
note 409, no.13 and pp.111-112, ill.65 ; Williamson, 2014, o.c., no.157), a Death of the Virgin in Frankfurt (Museum für Kunsthandwerk ;
see: Rasmussen, o.c., p.130, note 409, no.11 and pp.111-112, ill.66) and a Crucifixion in Florence (Bargello ; see: Rasmussen, o.c., p.130,
note 409, no.7 and pp.111-112).
Halm-Berliner, o.c., pl.141, no.258, p.56 ; Rasmussen, o.c., pp.108-109, ill.63 and pp.112-113 ; From the sixteen roundels referred to,
only one, The Adoration of the Magi, was hitherto identifiable with an ivory plaque in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg (see:
Rasmussen, o.c., p.130, note 409, no.12 and p.112, ill.67).
inv. no. B 148 a-d ; ivory: 2,5 cm. diam. ; see: http://www.gothicivories.courtauld.ac.uk/images/ivory/E5E564B0_32a35e62.html. - With thanks
to Dr. Manuela Beer (Cologne, Museum Schnütgen) for her kind permission to illustrate these four, hitherto unpublished ivory roundels here.
ill.1c
ill.1d
2
PLAQUE: THE VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH A BOOK
master of the Orléans triptych
and his workshop
Limoges
c.1500-1510
painted polychrome enamel,
on copper gilt
21,4 X 18,8 cm
Mary is represented half length, wearing a purple robe over which a blue cloak is
draped, also covering her hair. In the foreground the infant Christ, whom she is holding
protectively with her left hand, is sitting on a low windowsill or balustrade. Her other
hand is holding an open book through which the Child is leafing.
The scene is set in an indeterminable interior, with window openings on both sides,
giving a double view of the landscape. Under the windows is the caption AVE MAR IS
STELL(A).
The halos of mother and Child, the Virgin’s crown, the decoration to her neck and breast
inv. no. DEC1529
and the book cover are richly ornamented with so-called gouttelettes d’émail translucide,
tiny drops of enamel on small pieces of silver (so-called paillons d’argent) in imitation of
multi-coloured precious stones (cabochons).
The Wallace Collection in London (ill.2b)1 and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Troyes (ill.2c)2
have two almost identical plaques, both of which are attributed to the so-called master
of the Orléans triptych and his workshop and are dated to c.1500-1510. Consequently,
the same date and place of origin, also applies to The Virgin and Child with a Book of the
Thyssen-Bornemisza collection.
There are four other objects which, likewise, are closely related to the three Virgin and Child
ill.2a
Provenance
Marczell von Nemes-coll., Munich, before 1901-1928.
13-14.11.1928, Amsterdam, Fr. Müller, lot 85.
Heinrich, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza-coll., 1928-1947.
1947-2002.
Literature
Bulletin de la Société archéologique et historique du
Limousin, LXXIII, 1930, pp.v and xlii.
M.C Ross, The Master of the Orléans Triptych. Enameller
and Painter, in: Journal of the Walters Art Gallery, IV,
1941, pp.9-25.
A. Feulner, 1941, no.92, p.47.
Ph. Verdier, The Madonna and Child with a Bird, in:
Bulletin of the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, December
1953.
Ph. Verdier, The Walters Art Gallery. Catalogue of the
Painted Enamels of the Renaissance, Baltimore, 1967,
pp.35-36.
M. Blanc, Emaux peints de Limoges. XVe-XVIIIe siècles. La
collection du musée des arts décoratifs, Paris, 2011, p.33,
note 5.
S. Higgott, The Wallace Collection. Catalogue of Glass
and Limoges Painted Enamels, London, 2011, pp.196197, ill.61.5.
M. de Peverelli, 2012, p.225, p.230 and p.228, ill.3.
1
Exhibition
1901, Munich (Sezession), Meisterwerke der Renaissance
aus Privatbesitz, Munich, 1901.
1930, Munich, no.40, pl.19.
catalogue 14
50-51
2
Inv. no. C573 (former inv. no. IIIF247) ; Plaque: The Virgin and Child with a Book ; master of the Orléans triptych and his workshop ;
Limoges, c.1500-1510 ; 21,1 X 17 cm ; Lit.: J.J. Marquet de Vasselot, Les émaux limousins…, Paris, 1921, I, no.65, pp.89-90 and 251-252
; Higgott, o.c., no.61.
Inv. no. 887.7.1 ; Plaque: The Virgin and Child with a Book ; master of the Orléans triptych and his workshop ; Limoges, c.1500-1510 ;
20,7 X 16,8 cm ; Lit.: Marquet de Vasselot, o.c., I, no.64, pp.89-90 and 250-251 and II, pl.XXII ; Higgott, o.c., pp.194-197, ill.61.4. - With
thanks to Mélanie Kaspesczyk (Troyes, Musée des Beaux-Arts) for her kind permission to illustrate that plaque here.
2
PLAQUE: THE VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH A BOOK
representations already mentioned. They are plaques in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
in Paris3, in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London4, in The Walters Art Gallery in
Baltimore5 and in a private collection in London6. While the pose of the Virgin and Child
on these four plaques is very similar, Mary, however, is not holding a book but a parrot,
and the scene is situated in a loggia supported by fluted columns. Moreover, three of the
four plaques have much smaller dimensions. As a rule, the consensus view is that the
first group referred to was executed a little later (c.1500-1510) than the second (c.1500), in
view of the fact that the setting of the latter four plaques is purely gothic in character and
as yet shows no influence by Italian prints. The presence of an ornately carved wooden
screen on the plaques in Troyes and in the Wallace Collection on the one hand and the
denotation of a landscape on the example presented here, on the other, appear to confirm
this chronology.
The prints which served as a model for the two compositions -one with the book, the
other with the parrot- are not known. However, the literature does refer to a number of
engravings which are compositionally related to both scenes7. The references apply inter
alia to prints by the German artists, Nicolas Alexander Mair von Landshut (1499) and
Martin Schongauer (c.1500); to an anonymous north Italian engraving of The Virgin and
Child with a Book (c.1480-1490); and to a composition closely resembling it by the Dutch
master IAM of Zwolle (c.1470-1490). Or, possibly, an adaptation of one or more of these
models.
Like the example in Troyes, on which it is barely visible8, there is a caption in gothic
capital letters at the top of the panelling, which says: AVE MAR IS STELL(A). That verse
derives from one of the Marian hymns9, whereby the words Maris stella obviously
refer to Mari-a (Mar-y), so that the verse Ave Maris Stella can also be read as meaning Ave
Maria. That hymn, which was probably composed in the 9th century or thereabouts, is
especially associated with sermons by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (+ 1153) which raises
the question of whether this plaque could have been commissioned by a Cistercian
monk or monastery.
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
catalogue 14
52-53
From the former Spitzer-coll. ; Marquet de Vasselot, o.c., I, no.66 and II, pl.XXIII ; Blanc, o.c., no.4 ; 16,5 X 12,5 cm.
Verdier, o.c., p.35 ; Blanc, o.c., pp.32-33 ; Higgott, o.c., pp.196-198, ill.61.8 ; 18 X 14,5 cm.
Verdier, o.c., no.21 ; Blanc, o.c., pp.32-33 ; Higgott, o.c., pp.196-198 ; 16,4 X 12,4 cm.
P. Williamson, Medieval and Later Treasures from a Private Collection, London, 2005, no.69, p.53. - Contrary to what the catalogue says,
this plaque with its unusually large measurements (22 X 18 cm) never belonged to the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection. The plaque
was auctioned in Paris in 1970 (19.06.1970, Paris, Palais Galliera, lot 3) and originally belonged to the Joseph Homberg collection
(11.05.1923, Paris, galerie Georges Petit) ; see also: Higgott, o.c., p.198, note 14.
See i.a.: Higgott, o.c., pp.196-197.
The caption here is: MATER + REGIS ANGELORU (Mother and queen of the angels).
The words of this Mary hymn are as follows: Ave maris stella / Dei mater alma / Atque semper virgo / Felix coeli porta (Hail, Star of the
sea ! / Blessed Mother of God / And yet ever a Virgin / O happy gate of Heaven) ; see: P. van Wijk, De naam Maria. Over zijn beteekenis…,
Leiden, 1936, p.11.
ill.2b
®
The Wallace Collection
ill.2c
Cliché: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Troyes
3
PLAQUE: THE ANNUNCIATION
master of the Louis XII triptych
or his workshop
Limoges
c.1500-1515
on copper gilt
19,4 X 17,8 cm
To the left of the scene the Virgin is sitting at a desk upon which an open book lies. Behind
her is a big white vase with three white lilies. Startled by the unexpected appearance of
the archangel, Gabriel, Mary inclines her head slightly to her left, her arms outstretched.
Gabriel kneels before her. He is enveloped in a long blue robe with a purple cloak on top
and holds a sceptre in his left hand. In the sky behind him appear God the Father and the
Holy Ghost, descending towards Mary in the form of a small white dove.
The Annunciation is set in a richly decorated Renaissance loggia, with a view of a townscape
in panorama. On the borders of the gallery and the desk are various words in gold
inv. no. DEC1532
(O MATER DEI MEMENTO ; AVE MARIA ; and MATER)1.
Without doubt this plaque originally belonged to a triptych. The Thyssen-Bornemisza
Annunciation is, undeniably, very closely related to the central plaque on an extensive
triptych in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London2. Not simply the composition
-actually in mirror image- but it is primarily the architectural setting in which The
Annunciation is situated to which it bears a close resemblance: an open Renaissance
loggia with balustrade, six fluted columns and a somewhat flattened semi-circular barrel
vaulting. Also there is a close correspondence with the view of a night-time landscape
featuring trees and houses.
The typological similarities, as well as the strong stylistic correspondences, make it
possible to attribute both objects to one and the same anonymous workshop. Seeing
that the wings of the house altar in London bear representations of the French king,
Louis XII (1462-1515), on the left, and his wife, Anne of Bretagne (1477-1514), on the right,
kneeling, that triptych has been attributed to the so-called maître du triptyque de Louis
XII. It is very likely that that ensemble was executed between 1499 -the year of their
marriage- and 1514 -the year in which the queen died-, a dating which, therefore, is also
applicable to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Annunciation.
ill.3a
Provenance
M. Desmottes-coll., Lille, before 1882-1900.
19-23.03.1900, Parijs, Drouot.
Alfred von Pringsheim-coll., Munich, after 1900.
Marczell von Nemes-coll., Munich, 1928.
1947-2002.
Literature
A. Feulner, 1941, no.93, p.47.
M. de Peverelli, 2012, p.225, pp.230-231 and p.228,
ill.3.
Exhibition
1882, Brussels, L’art ancien à l’exposition nationale Belge,
Brussels-Paris, 1882 p.47.
1901, Munich (Sezession), Meisterwerke der Renaissance
aus Privatbesitz, Munich, 1901.
1930, Munich, no.41, pl.20.
catalogue 14
54-55
1
2
The same words, in a very similar writing, figure at the top of an Annunciation (divided over two wings of a triptych) by the master of
the Louis XII triptych in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. C.494 & A-1921 ; exh. cat.: 1897, London, Catalogue of a Collection of
European Enamels …, London, 1897, nos.132-133 ; J.J. Marquet de Vasselot, Les émaux limousins…, Paris, 1921, I, no.130).
Inv. no. 552.1877 ; Triptych: The Annunciation ; master of the Louis XII triptych ; Limoges, c.1499-1514 ; Lit.: Marquet de Vasselot, o.c., I,
no.127, pp.150-154 and 294-296 and II, pl.XLIX ; S. Higgott, The Wallace Collection…, London, 2011, ill.62.4, p.201.
4
PLAQUE: THE NATIVITY
Jean I Pénicaud (or Nardon Pénicaud ?)
Limoges
c.1510-1530
on copper gilt
20,4 X 17,5 cm
The Nativity is situated in a Renaissance style building with a semi-circular apse and a
cassette ceiling.
Mary and Joseph are kneeling on either side of the Child that is lying completely naked
in a basket between them. While the Virgin is accompanied by three angel musicians,
behind Joseph stand five shepherds. Two other shepherds are approaching the ox and
the donkey on whose breath the Child is warming Himself. At the rear of the apse four
other angels are kneeling, with their hands raised in adoration.
inv. no. DEC1535
It is hitherto unknown from which print this composition derives. What is remarkable
is that the Joseph and Mary figures, the Child and the Italian (Venetian ?) vase in the
foreground are almost identical to the ones on the central scene of The Triptych with the
Nativity and the Annunciation in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (ill.4b)1. By the way,
to a lesser degree the same also applies to the host of angels at the back, which on the
plaque in Paris is situated more in the foreground. Nevertheless, while it seems quite
unlikely to me that both plaques were based on the same print, it is worth considering,
which one of the compositions -either the plaques or the prints- is, if at all, indebted to
the other.
In addition, a Pax from the former Ernest Brummer collection also deserves to be
mentioned here2. There is a close correspondence on both plaques between not only
the pose of the central Adoration group, but also the architectural setting, with apse, shell
motif and pilasters. Seeing that the Brummer plaque is much plainer, it is likely that
that Pax is a workshop replica made for the commercial market, while the ThyssenBornemisza Nativity was produced by the master himself, probably in execution of a
ill.4a
concrete commission.
While at the time Jean-Jacques Marquet de Vasselot attributed the triptych in Paris to the
“atelier de Nardon Pénicaud”, nowadays the consensus view is that it was executed in the
workshop of his younger brother, Jean I Pénicaud. In view of the above, the authorship
of Jean I Pénicaud could also be considered with regard to the Thyssen-Bornemisza
plaque, in spite of the fact that said plaque has been attributed to Nardon Pénicaud ever
since it belonged to the collection of Marczell von Nemes.
Rectangular plaques whose topmost corners are rounded are not unknown in the
Limoges art of enamelling at the beginning of the 16th century. It suffices to refer here to
a “plaque arrondie dans sa partie supérieure” representing The Nativity, also in the Musée des
Arts Décoratifs in Paris3.
ill.4b
Provenance
Alfred von Pringsheim-coll., Munich.
1947-2002.
Literature
A. Feulner, 1941, no.94, pp.47-48.
M. de Peverelli, 2012, p.225, pp.230-231 and p.228, ill.3.
1
2
Exhibition
3
1930, Munich, no.42.
catalogue 14
56-57
J.J. Marquet de Vasselot, Les émaux limousins…, Paris, 1921, I, no.99 and II, pl.XXXI ; M. Blanc, Emaux peints de Limoges… , Paris,
2011, no.10. - With thanks to Monique Blanc (Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs) for her kind permission to illustrate that plaque here.
Pax: The Nativity ; attr. to the workshop of Jean I Pénicaud ; Limoges, c.1515-1530 ; Prov.: 17.10.1979, Zürich, Koller, The Ernest Brummer
Collection, 1…, lot 253.
Attr. to the workshop of the master of the Orléans triptych ; Limoges, c.1510 ; Blanc, o.c., no.3.
5
COLLECTION OF 23 SMALL PLAQUES
Limoges.
c.1530-1600
on copper gilt
The present object is an assemblage of a collection of 23 small and medium-sized enamel
plaques, all of which were executed in Limoges in the 16th century.
Two small labels and two old paper clippings are attached to the reverse of the panel
mounted, (most probably) at the end of the 18 or the
beginning of the 19th century, on a rectangular wooden
panel: 48,5 X 33,7 cm
(ill.5c,) above the caption “Emaux Italiens du XIVe S du Ghiberti ou de Ses Eleves”. While the
inv. no. DEC1549
of the ensemble. The paleographic characteristics of the large scribble in the middle, on
th
labels bear old inventory numbers -one of which refers to the Thyssen-Bornemisza
collection- the clippings and the caption may prove helpful in the dating and tracing
the one hand, and the fact that, on the other hand, the author -quite wrongly- situates
the plaques in the 14th century (repeated in the bottom inscription and, there, even
associates them with Italy and Ghiberti) lead to the assumption that the addition of
those notes was made roundabout 1800 or at the beginning of the 19th century, thus at a
time when there was little interest in or sufficient knowledge of Limoges enamels. The
estimated dating of both captions is, of course, likewise applicable as terminus ante quem
ill.5a
ill.5b
Provenance
priv. coll., France, c.1800 (?).
priv. coll., Italy, 1894.
Heinrich, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza-coll., before
1941-1947.
1947-2002.
Literature
1
A. Feulner, 1941, no.105, p.51.
catalogue 14
58-60
“En camaïeu” enamelling is a technique whereby the representation is applied in a single colour on a likewise monochrome background
(here: a golden figure on an azure blue background) which imitates the effect of cameo carving in relief, thus explaining the term.
to the wooden frame and the 23 attached plaques it contains. It is
on plaque 6 or to relate that same oval medallion to one of the
likely that the ensemble was in France at that time (and that the
remaining plaques. Moving on, numbers 7 and 10 may also form a
assemblage was executed there ?), after which it came into the
pair and represent, respectively, Saint Catharine (SANCTACATHERI)
hands of an Italian collector, as evidenced by the short clipping
and Saint Agnes or, perhaps more likely, Saint John the Baptist. Taking
at the top which records the date “3 febb[raio] 1894”.
account of the correspondences in size, style and iconography, the
four circular medallions (nos.8, 9, 15 and 16) originally belonged
The wooden panel encloses 23 plaques that can be subdivided into
to the same series of scenes from The Life of Christ (The Nativity, The
different groups (ill.5d). Two circular plaques, nos. 1 and 5, which
Resurrection, The Way to Calvary and The Agony in the Garden (?)). Also,
form a pair and were clearly executed by the same hand, represent
the miniature oval plaques with a black background (nos.11, 13
The Virgin and Child and Saint Paul, respectively. Likewise, numbers 2,
and 20) initially were part of the same ensemble. Seeing that no.13
4 and 22 originally belonged together, one featuring Saint Barbara,
portrays King David (DAVID SVIS), it is likely that the two remaining
the other two Saint Joseph, respectively. The Pax at the top centre
figures are likewise portrayals of leading characters from the Old
(no.3) portrays the Blessing Christ as Salvator Mundi. Due to serious
Testament. The central plaque (no.12) is the largest of the lot and
damage, it is impossible to identify the male figure in profile
represents The Lamentation. Christ is lying on His mother’s lap,
ill.5c
flanked by Saint John and Saint Mary Magdalene. As far as plaque
enamels (although it was mistaken for Italian) in a period that 16th
no.14 is concerned, it is impossible to identify the female figure in
century painted enamels from Limoges were still barely known
the absence of any attributes or captions. The two blue medallions
and, certainly, were not yet assessed at their true value.
below the central Pieta (nos.17 and 18, ills.5a-b) -representing Saint
Seeing that on the one hand this collection is comprised
Barbara (.S. .B.) and Saint James (SAINCT IACQVES), respectively-
of religious plaques only and that on the other, several
were executed “en camaïeu”1 and as such, are deemed to be a pair
plaques were originally part of religious silver (i.e. a chalice, a
as well. The three larger plaques at the bottom are representations
monstrance or a reliquary) or church utensils (i.e. a pax) -which
of Saint Barbara, The Crucifixion and Saint James Major and Saint James
is especially applicable to nos.2, 3, 4, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20 and 22- it is
Minor, respectively.
not inconceivable that all these plaques come from one and the
What makes the present collection of great importance is not the
same ecclesiastical treasure or monastic property. In view of the
individual plaques as such, but rather the collection as a whole,
fact that the present ensemble was assembled at the beginning
together with the fact that such a group has been cherished in
of the 19th century (at the latest), it raises the question of whether
the Napoleonic era since it was framed c.1800. That is why this
these plaques were all remains of a church that had been sacked
assemblage is very interesting to the reception history of Limoges
and abandoned during the French Revolution.
2
1
4
5
3
6
7
8
10
9
11
15
16
17
19
ill.5d
14
13
12
18
21
20
22
23
6
CASKET: THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF HERCULES
Pierre Reymond
Limoges
c.1545-1550
painted enamel in grisaille,
on copper gilt
with silver mounts
12,3 X 19,8 X 14,4 cm
This magnificent casket stands on four feet, each in the form of a small reclining lion. At
the front is a simple lock and on the top a rectangular handle.
Silver mounts, possibly the original ones, divide the casket into thirteen fields -four
on both the front and the back, two on each side and one on the lid- each of which is
decorated with a small enamel plaque. While the long, narrow plaque on the lid depicts
three profile portraits, surrounded by cornucopiae and separated by arabesque ornaments,
the remaining twelve plaques represent scenes from The Life and Labours of Hercules.
Almost all of these twelve plaques have a short, often barely legible, caption in gold,
inv. no. DEC1531
identifying the scene in question. At the front we can recognise from top left to bottom
right: The Fight of Hercules against the Hydra of Lerna; Hercules’ Triumph over the Cerberus, the
Three-Headed Dog; Hercules and Antaeus and Hercules’ Victory over the Giant Cacus. The plaques
to the backside represent, respectively: Hercules Fighting Achelous; Hercules Rescues Deianira
from the Hands of the Centaur Nessus; The Birth of Hercules and Hercules Stealing the Golden
Apple from the Garden of the Hesperides Guarded by the Dragon Laton. The right-hand side has
representations of The Carrying of the Pillars of Hercules and Hercules and the Battle between
the Centaurs and the Lapiths, while the two plaques on the left depict Hercules Wrestling the
Nemean Lion and The Death of Hercules.
The Life and Twelve Labours of Hercules rank among the themes most popular with Limoges
enamellers in the 16th century1. Except for several baluster-shaped candlesticks2, scenes
of Hercules were used mainly to decorate hexagonal salts3, one contributing factor being
undoubtedly the fact that these pièces de forme have multiple surfaces.
In addition, there are approximately twelve Limoges caskets with scenes from The Life and
Labours of Hercules known to be extant4. The casket from the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection
corresponds most closely iconographically, stylistically and qualitatively, with an example
in the Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden (ill.6a)5. The plaque on the lid of the latter casket, with
its almost identical dimensions, is also decorated with a grotesque, the twelve plaques
likewise represent scenes from The Life and Labours of Hercules. The majority of scenes are
quasi identical to the ones on the Thyssen casket, such as, for example, the plaque with The
Carrying of the Pillars of Hercules (ills.6c and 6d) or the one with The Fight of Hercules against the
1
2
Provenance
The late Rev. R.V.L. Dashwood-coll., 1949.
Charles Vere Dashwood-coll., Stanford Hall,
Nottinghamshire, after 1949.
Phillips-coll., Garendon Park, Leicestershire, 1976.
26.11.1976, New York, Sotheby’s.
1976-2002.
Literature
and Limoges Painted Enamels, London, 2011, p.229,
notes 26 and 63.
catalogue 14
62-63
F. Barbe, in: exh. cat.: 2002, Limoges, La rencontre des héros…, Limoges, 2002, pp.35-57 (mainly: pp.46-47).
The most famous are of course the pair from the former Givenchy collection (B. Descheemaeker, Emaux de Limoges de la renaissance…,
Paris, 1994, nos.14-15) and the one originally from the Chaspoux de Verneuil service (A. Faÿ, Un chandelier émaillé de Pierre Reymond…,
Bern, 1971).
3 See i.a.: B. Descheemaeker, in: exh. cat.: 2008, Antwerp, “In Grisaille or in Colour”..., Antwerp, 2008, no.16 ; cf. supra, Limoges Painted
Enamels. An Overview, pp.28-29, figs. 14a-d. - For non-hexagonal salt sellars with Hercules scènes, see f.i.: S. Netzer, Maleremails aus
Limoges…, Berlin, 1999, no.11 ; Barbe, o.c., nos.5-6.
4 Ph. Verdier, The Walters Art Gallery…, Baltimore, 1967, pp.132-135 ; Ph. Verdier, in: The Taft Museum..., New York, 1995, p.356.
5 Inv. no. III 264 ; Casket: The Life and Labours of Hercules ; Pierre Reymond ; Limoges, mid 16th century ; 11,5 X 19 X 13 cm ; Lit.: U.
Weinhold, Maleremail aus Limoges…, Munich-Berlin, 2008, no.3 ; Higgott, o.c., p.228 and pp.229-230, notes 58, 63-64 and 68. - With
thanks to Dr. Ulrike Weinhold (Dresden, Grünes Gewölbe) for her kind permission to illustrate the Dresden casket here.
6 The most important difference is the colour of the background. While the Thyssen plaques have a black background, the Hercules scenes
in Dresden are set against a dark-blue ground.
7 Cf. supra, Limoges Painted Enamels. An Overview, p.25.
8 The same style is also found on a Casket with Scenes from the Old Testament, likewise attributed to Pierre Reymond, in The Frick Collection in New York (Ph. Verdier and J. Focarino, Limoges Painted Enamels, in: The Frick Collection..., VIII, New York, 1977, pp.130-139).
9 Weinhold, o.c., pp.11 and 43: “Ein Kästlein in form einer Bündladen, darauff die Thaten Herculis von geschmelzter glasarbeit in Meßing
eingefast, inwendig mit …”.
10 See: Barbe, o.c., pp.38-45 ; Weinhold, o.c., pp.46-50, ills.1-7.
6
CASKET: THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF HERCULES
Hydra of Lerna (ills.6f and 6g). Moreover, there is a close correspondence between the style
of the various plaques and the use of colour -richly gilded grisaille figures against a dark
background6 with green and blue rural details (so-called grisaille teintée)7. In view of the
above, the present casket must also be attributed to the workshop of Pierre Reymond and
was probably executed roundabout the middle of the 16th century8.
The 1640 inventory of the Kunstkammer of Johann Georg I. von Sachsen describes the
casket, which is at present in the Grünes Gewölbe, as having brass mounts9. In view of this
it is most likely that the current brass mounts are also the original ones. Those mounts are
very similar to the silver mounts of the Thyssen casket -it suffices here to refer also to the
handles on both caskets which are quasi identical- it cannot, therefore, be ruled out that
the latter casket has also been preserved in its original state.
Although it is hitherto unknown upon which iconographic models the scenes representing
The Life and Labours of Hercules are based, the literature refers time and time again to the
programme of the rood screen (jubé) in the Cathedral of Limoges (c.1533-1537) on the one
hand, and to the Hercules prints by Heinrich Aldegrever (c.1550) and Giovanni Andrea
Valvassori (c.1506) on the other10. Seeing that it is the series of prints by Valvassori in
particular to which the Hercules plaques by Pierre Reymond appear the most closely related
(ills.6b and 6e), the question arises of whether the ultimate models at Pierre Reymond’s
disposal in his workshop might not have been adaptations of the same engravings.
ill.6a
® bpk - Bildagentur für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte
catalogue 14
64-66
ill.6b
ill.6c
®
bpk - Bildagentur für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte
ill.6d
ill.6e
ill.6f
®
bpk - Bildagentur für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte
ill.6g
7
EWER: SAPHAN READING ALOUD TO KING JOSIAH
Pierre Reymond (monogrammed PR)
Limoges
c.1556-1565
on copper gilt
h. 27 cm
The present ewer is comprised of five parts: a neck adorned with vertical acanthus leaves,
after an engraving by Bernard Salomon (1556)
At the top of the frieze is the inscription: IIII ROIS XXII, while beneath the king’s feet is
an ear-shaped handle, a double-bellied body and a convex foot with a flat knob. While
the shoulder is decorated with a lion mask which is linked to two triumphal chariots
with satyrs and mythical creatures by means of strapwork and festoons, the lower frieze
has a scene from the Old Testament, representing Saphan Reading Aloud to King Josiah from
the Book of the Law (IV Kings 22: 8-13).
the monogram PR.
inv. no. DEC1543.1
The foot is ornamented with four cherubs enclosed in strapwork with fruit swags, an
egg and dart border, a line of miniature gilt rings and a line of twisted cable in gold.
The scene of Saphan, kneeling behind a low lectern and reading from the Book of the Law
to the king and his courtiers, is after an engraving by Bernard Salomon (ill.7a) for Claude
Paradin’s Quadrins historiques de la Bible, first published by Jean de Tournes in Lyon in 1553.
The only other pièces de forme known to me where the same print was used by (the workshop
of) Pierre Reymond is a polychrome ewer in the Spitzer collection1, a tazza from the former
collection of the 6th Earl of Rosebery2 and a grisaille plate monogrammed PR in the Louvre3.
However, the Louvre does also have a large, oval dish by Pierre Reymond, depicting the same
Old Testament scene4. But seeing that the scene on the Parisian dish is not only represented
in mirror image but also includes several new elements, it was most probably derived from
a different, later graphic model5. The latter dish is dated 1578, but it is likely that the present
Thyssen ewer, undoubtedly of a much earlier date, was executed c.1556-1565.
ill.7a
1
Provenance
art market, London, 1957.
1957-2002.
Literature
M.L.M. Ansón, 1998, pp.128-132 and ills.1-3.
and Limoges Painted Enamels, London, 2011, p.244.
catalogue 14
68-69
2
3
4
5
C. Popelin, in: La collection Spitzer…, II, Paris, 1891, no.100 ; 17.04-16.06.1893, Paris, Chevallier-Mannheim, lot 516, pl.XVI. - Insofar
as we can tell from the tiny illustration in the Spitzer catalogue, that ewer seems to be related to a likewise polychrome ewer in Brunswick
(I. Müsch, Maleremails des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts aus Limoges, Brunswick, 2002, no.126, col.pl.40) and to one (with The Gathering
of the Manna on the shoulder ; cf. infra: cat. no.10) in The Frick Collection in New York (Ph. Verdier and J. Focarino, Limoges Painted
Enamels, in: The Frick Collection..., VIII, New York, 1977, pp.158-162) both of which, however, must be dated to c.1600. The above raises
the question of whether it would be better to relate the three ewers to the so-called workshop of the successor to Pierre Reymond (see
also: B. Descheemaeker, in: exh. cat.: 2010, Antwerp, At Table !...., Antwerp, 2010, pp.20-23).
20.05.1977, London, Sotheby’s, Mentmore, 2, lot 1133 ; 07.07.1988, London, Sotheby’s, lot 338 ; 20.04.1989, London, Sotheby’s, lot 292.
S. Baratte, Musée du Louvre…, Parijs, 2000, p.220.
Baratte, o.c., p.252.
I know of only two other pièces de forme after Claude Paradin’s print, namely, a plaque from a Casket with Scenes from the Old Testament
by Pierre Courteys in The Frick Collection in New York (Verdier-Focarino, o.c., pp.184-187, ill. p.187) and an ewer by master IC in Baltimore
(Ph. Verdier, The Walters Art Gallery…, Baltimore, 1967, no.175).
8
EWER: ABRAHAM RECEIVING BREAD AND WINE FROM MELCHISEDECH
Limoges
c.1556-1565
on copper gilt
h. 27,2 cm
This ewer is also comprised of five parts: a neck adorned with vertical acanthus leaves, an
after an engraving by Bernard Salomon (1556)
to Abraham, recognizable by his Roman cuirass and helmet. On the one side we see him
ear-shaped handle, a double-bellied body and a convex foot with a flat knob.
What is remarkable is the tall projecting shoulder, with a central representation
of a large mask flanked by two peacocks and two triumphal chariots with satyrs and
mythical creatures. The lower frieze depicts the famous passage from the book of Genesis
(14: 18-19) where Melchisedech, attired in the robes of a high priest, gives bread and wine
accompanied by Lot, the King of Sodom and their armies, while, on the other, two of
inv. no. DEC1543.2
Melchisedech’s fellow priests are proffering pitchers (GENESE XIIII).
At the bottom of the frieze is the monogram PR.
The foot is ornamented with four cherubs enclosed in strapwork with fruit swags, an
egg and dart border, a line of miniature gilt rings and a line of twisted cable in gold.
A quasi identical decorum is found on an ewer (unsigned) by Pierre Reymond in the
Louvre1. The neck of that ewer is also decorated with vertical acanthus leaves; it has
a shoulder with a large mask flanked by triumphal chariots, a frieze with the Old
Testament scene of Melchisedech and Abraham -likewise with the inscription GENESE XIIII-;
and a foot with four cherubs, a drapery and fruit swags. There are three other ewers, all
monogrammed PR and bearing the same Genesis scene, one is in the Kunsthistorisches
Museum in Vienna2; the second in the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore3 and the third
one in a private collection4.
For the production of each of these five ewers the workshop of Pierre Reymond used the
same print by Bernard Salomon (ill.8a) which was published in the Biblia Sacra by Jean de
Tournes (Lyons, 1544) and also in Claude Paradin’s Quadrins historiques de la Bible (Lyons,
1553). It is possible that Pierre Reymond had access to the 1556 publication since he was
inspired elsewhere by prints that had not been included in the earlier editions5.
ill.8a
Provenance
art market, London, 1957.
1957-2002.
1
2
Literature
M.L.M. Ansón, 1998, pp.128-132 and ills.1 and 4-5.
T. Rappé and L. Boulkina, Les émaux peints de Limoges de
la collection de l’Ermitage, Saint Petersburg, 2005, p.176.
and Limoges Painted Enamels, London, 2011, p.244.
catalogue 14
70-71
3
4
5
S. Baratte, Musée du Louvre…, Paris, 2000, pp.204-206 (comp. also: pp.202-203).
A. Ilg, Die Limousiner Grisaillen…, in: Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen des allerhöchsten Kaiserhauses, II, 1884, pp.110112.
Ph. Verdier, The Walters Art Gallery…, Baltimore, 1967, no.136 (comp. also: no.139 and Rappé-Boulkina, o.c., no.67).
Prov. : (probably) Baron and Baroness Mayer Amschel de Rothschild-coll., Mentmore (England), 1874 ; Archibald Philip Primrose-coll.,
The 5th Earl of Rosebery, Mentmore, 1874-1929 ; Albert Primrose-coll., The 6th Earl of Rosebery, Mentmore, 1929-1974 ; 20.05.1977,
London, Sotheby’s, Mentmore, lot 1127 ; 27.11.1981, New York, Sotheby’s, lot 55 ; 10-11.06.1983, New York, Sotheby’s, lot 40 ; 31.05.1986,
New York, Sotheby’s, lot 167 ; priv. coll., France, 1986-2007 ; Bernard Descheemaeker-Works of Art, Antwerp, 2007-2008 ; Lit.:
B. Descheemaeker, Newsletter 12, Antwerp, 2007, p.1.
M.C. Ross, Notes on Enamels by Pierre Reymond, in: Journal of the Walters Art Gallery, I, 1938, p.94.
9
PLATE: THE MONTH OF OCTOBER
Limoges
1565
on copper gilt
diam. 20,2 cm
The obverse of this plate shows a labourer ploughing the field and another peasant
sowing the seed. The border consists of a grotesque decoration of four repetitions of
a strapwork cartouche with mythical creatures and putti interrupted at the top by a
cartouche containing the zodiac sign of Capricorn. At the bottom of the border is a coatof-arms accompanied by the motto DE FORTI DULCEDO.
The reverse of the plate is richly ornamented with swags of fruit, strapwork and two
cherubs. A central medallion, surrounded by an egg and dart border, depicts the profile
inv. no. DEC1546.1
portrait of a bearded man with a hat against a black background stippled with gold.
The border displays arabesque scrolls divided by four oval cartouches, one of which is
inscribed with the monogram PR.
It has hitherto not proved possible to connect either the coat-of-arms or the motto with
a specific family or person; there are, however, nine other extant Month plates, bearing
the same coat-of-arms and the same banderole1. The plates concerned portray:
1. The Banquet (January - aries): The Netherlands, priv. coll.
2. The Crossbow Hunt (March - gemini - 1565): present location unknown
3. The Woodcutting (April - cancer): Minneapolis, Minneapolis Institute of Art2
4. The Horse Ride (May - leo): present location unknown3
5. Shearing the Sheep (June - virgo - 1565): Antwerp, Bernard Descheemaeker-Works
of Art (ills.9a-b)4
6. Harvesting the Wheat (Augustus - scorpio): present location unknown
7. The Wine Harvest (September - sagittarius): present location unknown
8. The Threshing of the Wheat (November - aquarius): Oxford, Ashmolean Museum
9. The Slaughtering of the Swine (December - pisces): Limoges, Musée des Beaux-Arts
(ill.9c-d)5
Until now nothing is known about the whereabouts of the plates of the months of
February (The Warming by the Fire - taurus) and July (The Haymaking - libra) or even whether
they have been lost.
Provenance
the Duke of Marlborough-coll., Blenheim Castle
(UK), 1883.
14.06.1883, Blenheim Castle, Christie’s, lot 32.
gallery Rosenberg & Stiebel (?), New York, 1957.
1957-2002.
Literature
1
M.L.M. Ansón, 1999, p.19, figs.1-2.
V. Notin, in: exh. cat.: 2002, Limoges, La Rencontre
des Héros. Regards croisés sur les émaux peints de la
renaissance, Limoges, 2002, p.174, note 2.
B. Descheemaeker, in: exh. cat.: 2012, Antwerp, De
forti dulcedo. Masterpieces from the Middle Ages and the
Renaissance (1200-1700). Catalogue 9, Antwerp, 2012,
p.38, note 2.
2
3
4
catalogue 14
72-73
5
Nine of these De forti dulcedo plates came from the former collection of the Duke of Marlborough (14.06.1883, Blenheim Castle, Christie’s,
Catalogue of the Choice Collection of Limoges Enamels from Blenheim Palace Belonging to the Duke of Marlborough, lots 27-35 ; see also:
Notin, 2002, o.c., no.43, p.174, note 2 and pp.159-160). For other pièces de forme bearing the same coat-of-arms, see: Notin, 2002, o.c.,
pp.174-175.
Ph. Verdier, The Walters Art Gallery…, Baltimore, 1967, p.285, ill.31.
Cf. infra, note 7.
Descheemaeker, o.c., no.14 ; This June plate is the only one of the ten hitherto known De forti dulcedo plates which did not belong to the
Marlborough collection in Blenheim.
Notin, 2002, o.c., no.43. - With thanks to Véronique Notin (Limoges, Musée des Beaux-Arts) for her kind permission to illustrate the
December plate here.
9
PLATE: THE MONTH OF OCTOBER
The descriptions referred to above demonstrate that on each plate of the De forti dulcedo
series there is a discrepancy of two months between the central Month representation
and the zodiac sign it depicts. This anomaly is explained by Philippe Verdier by reference
to the Roman calendar which commences with the month of March, the current third
month of the year6.
Until approximately 1951, the plate depicting The Month of May from the De forti dulcedo
series belonged also to the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection7. There is no way of knowing
whether it was sold, gifted, destroyed, stolen or simply lost; it is remarkable to note,
however, that the present October plate was added to the collection shortly afterwards
(1957), which might indicate that the October plate was acquired to replace the May plate
-seeing that both originally belonged to the same ensemble.
Considering that, in addition to the motto, two plates belonging to this ensemble (March
and June) both bear the date 1565, this can only mean that the entire series was executed
in 1565. Moreover, in stylistic, iconographic and also qualitative terms, the De forti dulcedo
series perfectly match the Month plates by Pierre Reymond commissioned by Pierre I
Séguier, the président à mortier, of the Parisian parliament8. The date on the latter series
is 1566 -one year later- which leads to the assumption that the De forti dulcedo series was
likewise commissioned by a very distinguished and wealthy client.
6
7
8
catalogue 14
74-75
Verdier, o.c., p.251.
Plate: The Month of May ; Pierre Reymond (monogrammed PR) ; Limoges, 1565 ; painted enamel in grisaille, on copper gilt: diam. 20,2 cm ;
Prov.: the Duke of Marlborough-coll., Blenheim Castle, 1883 ; 14.06.1883, Blenheim Castle, Christie’s, lot 30 ; Martin Heckscher-coll., Vienna
(?) ; 04-06.05.1898, London, lot 70 (?) ; Richard von Passavant-Gontard-coll., Frankfurt, 1929 ; Heinrich, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza-coll.,
after 1929-1947 ; Hans Heinrich, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza-coll., 1947-after 1951 ; Lit.: Feulner, 1941, no.102, p.50 ; Notin, o.c., p.174,
note 2 ; Descheemaeker, o.c., p.38, note 2 ; de Peverelli, o.c., p.232 ; Exh.: 1930, Munich, no.47.
For this series (from which only the November plate is missing), see i.a.: Verdier, 1967, o.c., nos.142-143 ; S. Baratte, Musée du Louvre...,
Paris, 2000, pp.210-214 ; The October plate of this ensemble was auctioned at Christie’s in London on 18 July 1977 (lot 79, pl.12). A third
October plate by Pierre Reymond (1571) after the same model, but this time with the inscription OCTOBRE, is in Brunswick (I. Müsch,
Maleremails des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts aus Limoges, Brunswick, 2002, no.91).
ill.9a
ill.9c
Cl.F. Magnoux, © Musée des Beaux-Arts, Limoges
ill.9b
ill.9d
Cl.F. Magnoux, © Musée des Beaux-Arts, Limoges
10
COVER OF A TAZZA: THE GATHERING OF THE MANNA
Limoges
c.1570-1575
on copper gilt
h. 8,5 X diam. 20,8 cm
The present cover and cat. no.11 were both acquired in 1966 by Baron Hans Heinrich
after engravings by Bernard Salomon (1556)
complained to Moses and Aaron about their lot, causing God to put them to the test.
Thyssen-Bornemisza in New York, and in fact should be regarded as a pair.
The exterior of this lobed cover, the knob of which has been replaced, depicts the
passage from Exodus (16: 1-32) which tells of how the Jewish people went out, picked up
and gathered the Manna that descended so abundantly from Heaven. The Israelites had
Under the feet of Moses and Aaron is the inscription EXODE.XVI; a little to the right of
inv. no. DEC1530.2
this, the monogram PR.
The sides and edge of the cover are patterned with conventional ornament: a line of
miniature gilt rings, an egg and dart border and a line of twisted cable in gold.
The frieze is bordered by a band enclosing miniature gold circles, an egg and dart border,
and a decorative border with a rope motif.
The interior is richly adorned with golden arabesques. Surrounding a central grotesque
with palm leaves, strapwork and four lion heads, are four medallions with scenes
derived from Aesop’s Fables. We can identify, respectively: The Fox and the Monkey discussing
their Origins, The Heron and the Wolf, The Pig and the Dog and The Fox and the Stork.
While The Gathering of the Manna is copied from a print by Bernard Salomon (ill.10a) in
ill.10a
Claude Paradin’s Quadrins historiques de la Bible, published by Jean de Tournes in Lyons
in 1556, the scenes in the four medallions are after engravings from Aesop’s Fables, several
publications of which were made by the very same Jean de Tournes from 1547 onwards1.
The latter prints (ill.10b) are, likewise, designed by Bernard Salomon2.
In the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore there is a pair of covers by Pierre Reymond (with
their accompanying tazze), the exterior of which is decorated with Old Testament scenes
after prints by Claude Paradin. Several medallions on the interior depict scenes derived
from Aesop’s Fables. In view of the obvious correspondences in style and in the decoration
of the borders, all four covers must have originated roundabout the same period in time.
ill.10b
Philippe Verdier suggests a dating of “about 1560”3, but to my mind they are more likely
to have been executed c.1570-15754.
Although a cover monogrammed PR in Brunswick also deserves to be mentioned
here5, the present cover on offer is, however, more closely related to a cover (with its
accompanying tazza) in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York6. The exterior of
ill.10c
Provenance
1
2
The Antique Company of New York, New York,
1965-1966.
1966-2002.
3
4
5
Literature
p.243.
M.L.M. Ansón, 1998, pp.132-136 and ills.8-11 and 13.
catalogue 14
76-77
6
A. Cartier, Bibliographie des éditions des de Tournes, II, Paris, 1937, p.709.
Since the publication of the catalogue by Philippe Verdier (o.c., pp.240-243) a lot more has become known about the various editions
of Aesop’s Fables by Jean de Tournes and their illustrations. See very recently: M. Clément, Mettre en livre Esope à Lyon…, in: Revue de
L’enssib, 2, 2014.
Verdier, o.c., nos.139-140.
Compare also a “tazza” dated 1571 in Berlin (S. Netzer, Maleremails aus Limoges…, Berlin, 1999, no.9 ; cf. infra: cat. no.11).
I. Müsch, Maleremails des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts aus Limoges, Brunswick, 2002, no.79. ; Other covers by Pierre Reymond with on the
exterior The Gathering of the Manna are in Los Angeles (S.L. Caroselli, The Painted Enamels of Limoges. …, Los Angeles, 1993, no.18 ;
this one is dated 1575), in Saint Petersburg (T. Rappé and L. Boulkina, in: exh. cat.: 2004, Limoges, Emaux limousins du Musée national
de l’Ermitage …, Limoges, 2004, no.77 ; T. Rappé and L. Boulkina, Les émaux peints de Limoges …, Saint Petersburg, 2005, no.62)
and in the former collection of the 6th Earl of Rosebery (20.05.1977, London, Sotheby’s, Mentmore, 2, lot 1125 ; 27.11.1981, New York,
Sotheby’s, lot 56 ; 31.05.1986, New York, Sotheby’s, lot 167).
Inv. no. 04.6.5b ; see: Ph. Verdier and J. Focarino, Limoges Painted Enamels, in: The Frick Collection..., VIII, New York, 1977, p.160, note 2
and www.metmuseum.org/collection.
the latter cover similarly depicts The Gathering of the Manna, and
Seeing that each of the covers in Baltimore and New York have
the interior is also ornamented with medallions surrounding a
survived together with the original cup, it is also likely that the
central grotesque, with palm leaves, lion heads and strapwork,
present cover (and cat. no. 11) originally belonged to a tazza on a
albeit that those illustrations are not taken from Aesop’s Fables
tall baluster-shaped foot.
but portray scenes of Hercules.
11
COVER OF A TAZZA: MOSES STRIKING WATER FROM THE ROCK
Limoges
c.1570-1575
on copper gilt
h. 8,4 X diam. 21 cm
The present cover and cat. no.10 were both acquired in 1966 by Baron Hans Heinrich
after engravings by Bernard Salomon (1556)
their doubts about God and so put Him to the test. While The Gathering of the Manna
Thyssen-Bornemisza in New York, and in fact should be regarded as a pair.
The decorative scheme of both covers is practically identical and also their iconographic
programs are perfectly attuned. Thus, there are on the exterior not simply depictions of
two consecutive chapters from the Exodus, but also scenes in which the Israelites express
is represented on cat. no. 10 (Exodus 16: 1-32), the present cover depicts the passage
inv. no. DEC1531.2
immediately following: the one in which the Children of Israel complain to Moses and
Aaron about the shortage of water. Upon God’s demand, Moses proceeds to Mount
Horeb, where he strikes the rock with his staff in order to provide his people with the
necessary water (Exodus 17: 5-7).
Beneath Moses’ feet is the inscription, EXODE XVII, followed by the monogram PR.
The sides and edge of the present cover are patterned with the same conventional
ornament: a line of miniature gilt rings, an egg and dart border and a line of twisted
cable in gold.
The frieze is also bordered by a band enclosing miniature gold circles, an egg and dart
border, and a decorative border with a rope motif.
The decoration of the interior is proof that both covers originated as a pair: here, too,
ill.11a
encircling a central grotesque with palm leaves, strapwork and four lion heads, are four
medallions with scenes derived from Aesop’s Fables. Respectively, we can identify The
Donkey and the Gardener, The Donkey and the Lion, The Cock and the Partridge and The Fox and
the Goat.
While the Moses scene is copied from a print by Bernard Salomon (ill.11a) in Claude
Paradin’s Quadrins historiques de la Bible (Lyons, 1556), the scenes in the four medallions
are after engravings from Aesop’s Fables by Bernard Salomon as well (ill.11b)1.
In the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin there is a cover (which was converted into a
ill.11b
tazza2) the exterior of which is almost identical to the cover presented here and whose
baluster-shaped stem bears the date 15713.
However, the present cover is most closely related to a cover (with its accompanying tazza)
in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg4. The exterior of the latter cover similarly depicts
Moses Striking Water from the Rock, and the interior is also ornamented with medallions
ill.11c
1
2
Provenance
1965-1966.
1966-2002.
3
Literature
p.243.
M.L.M. Ansón, 1998, pp.133-136 and ills.8, 15, 17 and
19.
catalogue 14
78-79
4
5
6
For more details: cf. supra: cat. no.10.
Compare also a pair of covers by Pierre Reymond (with their accompanying tazze) in the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, for which
Philippe Verdier suggests a dating of “about 1560” (Verdier, o.c., nos.139-140 (p.235)). but which are more likely to have been executed
c.1570-1575. Cf. supra: cat. no.10.
S. Netzer, Maleremails aus Limoges…, Berlin, 1999, no.9 ; comp. also: an ewer in Brunswick (I. Müsch, Maleremails des 16. und 17.
Jahrhunderts aus Limoges, Brunswick, 2002, no.94, col.pl.20) and a covered tazza from the former Baron James de Rothschild-collection
(Paris, before 1865-1868 ; by descent to: Baron Gustave de Rothschild-coll., Paris, 1868-1911 ; by descent to: Sir Philip Sassoon-coll.,
1911-1919 ; 26.11.1919, London, Christie’s, lot 69 ; priv. coll., France, 1994 ; 17.06.1994, Paris, Drouot, lot 112 ; gallery Jan Dirven,
Antwerp and gallery Kugel, Paris, 1994-1995 ; Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé-coll., Paris, 1995-2009 ; 25.02.2009, Paris, Christie’s,
lot 548 - Exh.: 1865, Paris, Union central des arts décoratifs, no.3671 - Lit.: 1995, Maastricht, The European Fine Art Fair. Catalogue,
1995, p.163), both of which must also be dated c.1570-1575.
Inv. no. 291 ; see: T. Rappé and L. Boulkina, in: exh. cat.: 2004, Limoges, Emaux limousins du Musée national de l’Ermitage …, Limoges,
2004, no.76 ; T. Rappé and L. Boulkina, Les émaux peints de Limoges …, Saint Petersburg, 2005, no.61.
Ignudi are decorative nude figures. They are, in particular, well-known through Michelangelo’s Ignudi, sitting on plinths and bearing
garlands of oak leaves and acorns, on the ceiling of The Sistine Chapel.
See supra: cat. no.10.
surrounding a central grotesque, with palm leaves, lion heads
Seeing that each of the covers in Baltimore and Saint Petersburg
and strapwork, albeit that those illustrations are not taken from
(and the one in New York)6 have survived together with the
Aesop’s Fables but portray various so-called Ignudi5. The knob of
original cup, it is also likely that the present cover (and cat. no.
the latter tazza is dated 1572, confirming the dating, proposed
10) originally belonged to a tazza on a tall baluster-shaped foot.
here, of the Thyssen-Bornemisza cover of c.1570-1575.
12
PLATE: THE MONTH OF AUGUST
Pierre Courteys (monogrammed PC)
Limoges
c.1565-1575
on copper gilt
diam. 18,7 cm
To the left of the central scene two men are cutting wheat with a sickle. A third labourer
after an engraving by Etienne Delaune (1561)
with a drapery at the bottom frames the zodiac sign of Virgo.
inv. no. DEC1546.2
The decoration of the present plate is modelled after the August engraving (ill.12a) from a
on the right is crouching on the ground, gathering the ears of wheat into bunches.
The border is decorated with bound sheaves of wheat, hand flails, water flasks, sickles
and fruit swags. The inscription at the bottom of the cartouche reads AVGVSTVS, while
the monogram PC has been applied to the top.
On the reverse a large strapwork surround with a cherub’s head at the top and a mask
famous series of prints with allegorical representations of the various Months by Etienne
Delaune, published in 15611. What is characteristic of the oeuvre of Pierre (and Martial)
Courteys is that not only was the central scene of the plates based on those engravings,
but that they also served as a source of inspiration for the zodiac sign on the reverse and
even for the decoration of the rims.
In the British Museum there is a plate representing the Month of August (ill.12b)2,
which as far as iconography and style are concerned, is virtually identical to the present
example. The monogram enclosed within the cartouche at the top (on both plates)
confirms the attribution to Pierre Courteys (c.1520-1591). Other closely related plates
include a magnificent series of six by Pierre Courteys in a private collection3 and a series
of The Months which is still complete in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art4, and
which was, however, executed by his son Martial Courteys (c.1550-1592).
Indeed, the stylistic and qualitative similarities between the works of father and son
ill.12a
appear to be so close, that it is well-nigh impossible to distinguish between their
unsigned oeuvre.
In view of the iconography of both the obverse and the reverse; the decoration of the
borders; the dimensions; the quality; and the inscriptions in the two cartouches on the
obverse, it cannot be ruled out that this August plate originally belonged to the same
ensemble as a February plate in the Louvre5 and a June plate from the former Ruth Blumka
collection6.
ill.12b
Provenance
Richard von Passavant-Gontard-coll., Frankfurt,
1929.
Heinrich, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza-coll., after
1929-1947.
1947-2002.
1
Literature
A. Feulner, 1941, no.104, pp.50-51.
M.L.M. Ansón, 1999, p.19, figs.7-8.
2
3
4
5
Exhibition
6
catalogue 14
80-81
A.-P.-F. Robert-Dumesnil, Le peintre-graveur …, IX, Paris, 1865, no.232 ; V. Notin, in: exh. cat.: 2002, Limoges, La rencontre des héros…,
Limoges, 2002, pp.166-168, ill.160.
Inv. no. 1913, 1220.64 (part of a pair with inv. no. 1913, 1220.63 (Plate: Month of June)) ; see: Notin, o.c., p.179 ; www.britishmuseum.org.
B. Descheemaeker, Newsletter 12, Antwerp, 2007, pp.8-11.
S.L. Caroselli, The Painted Enamels of Limoges..., Los Angeles, 1993, nos.29-40.
S. Baratte, Musée du Louvre…, Paris, 2000, p.280 (comp. also: B. Descheemaeker, in: exh. cat.: 2010, Antwerp, At Table !...., Antwerp,
2010, nos.4-5).
09.10.01.1996, New York, Sotheby’s, lot 135.
13-15
SERIES OF THREE PLAQUES: THE PASSION OF CHRIST
Limoges
c.1560-1600
on copper gilt
12,6 X 9,8 cm
The first plaque represents The Triumphal Entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Christ is
approaching the so-called Golden Gate in Jerusalem, riding a donkey. He is welcomed
by the multitudes and people lay before Him their cloaks, as a sign of tribute.
Several days later, accompanied by three of His disciples, Christ sets out for The Garden
of Ghetsemane (Luke 22: 43-44). While Saint Peter, Saint John and Saint James are asleep,
each mounted in a modern, with velvet covered frame:
18,3 X 15,4 cm
Christ kneels down in prayer to His Father to let the chalice pass Him by. Then an angel
(partly) after prints by Albrecht Dürer for The Small Passion
(c.1509-1511)
faith and courage.
appears in a cloud in the sky, with a cross in his hand, so as to inspire Him with strength,
On the day of His resurrection, Christ encounters two travellers who were on their way
to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-36). He joins them for part of the journey and upon arrival at
inv. no. DEC1536.2-4
Emmaus they partake of food together. It is there that He takes the bread; He blesses it,
breaks off a piece giving it to them, and their eyes were opened.
ill.13a
1
Provenance
The Antique Company of New York , New York,
1967.
1967-2002.
Literature
and Limoges Painted Enamels, London, 2011, pp.333
and 345.
catalogue 14
82-84
ill.15a
The Adoration of the Shepherds ; Limoges, c.1560-1600 ; painted polychrome enamel, on copper gilt: 11,5 X 9,8 cm ; after a print by Albrecht Dürer for The Small Passion ; Prov.: The Antique Company of New York, New York, 1967 ; Hans Heinrich, Baron Thyssen-Bornemiszacoll., 1967-2001 ; Comp.: Higgott, o.c., no.85c.
2 G. Gentili, in: exh. cat.: 2000, Rimini, Ai confini della terra…, Milan, 2000, no.136 ; Higgott, o.c., pp.342 and 344 ; The series comes from
the Monastery of Santa Cruz de Coimbra, where it (most probably) was already recorded in a document dated 1752. In 1834 this ensemble
entered the museum of Oporto (then called Ateneu D. Pedro IV).
3 Higgott, o.c., no.85, pp.328-347.
4 Higgott, o.c., p.344.
5 T. Rappé and L. Boulkina, in: exh. cat.: 2004, Limoges, Emaux limousins du Musée national de l’Ermitage…, Limoges, 2004, no.55 ; T.
Rappé and L. Boulkina, Les émaux peints de Limoges…, Saint Petersburg, 2005, no.28 ; Higgott, o.c., p.345.
6 S.L. Caroselli, The Painted Enamels of Limoges…, Los Angeles, 1993, nos.5-8, pp.84-91 ; Higgott, o.c., p.344.
7 M. Blanc, Emaux peints de Limoges…, Paris, 2011, no.15, pp.88-107 ; Higgott, o.c., p.344.
8 Ph. Verdier, The Walters Art Gallery…, Baltimore, 1967, no.71 ; Higgott, o.c., p.344.
9 For an overview, see: Higgott, o.c., pp.341-342.
10 I. Biron and M. Blanc, Concerning a Mysterious Limoges Enamel Group of the Passion after Dürer, in: Experts’ Meeting on Enamel on Metal
Conservation, New York, 2010, pp.97-101.
In 2001 a fourth plaque from the same series representing The
There can be no doubt that the present set of three (four)
Adoration of the Shepherds was lost at the time of the closure of the
enamels originally belonged to one and the same ensemble
Villa Favorita .
which counted initially a much greater number of plaques.
1
That can best be illustrated by reference to a series of 26 plaques
While the scenes with Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem, Supper at Emmaus
with scenes from The Passion of Christ in the Museu Nacional de
(and The Adoration of the Shepherds) are taken directly from prints of
Soares dos Reis in Porto (Portugal)2 and a series of 24 plaques
the so-called Small Passion (c.1509-1511) by Albrecht Dürer (ills.13a
in The Wallace Collection in London3. Other similar, but far
and 15a), it seems likely that The Agony in the Garden is based on a
less extensive, ensembles are inter alia in The Metropolitan
model that is itself an adaptation of Dürer’s composition.
Museum of Art (9 plaques)4, the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg
(6 plaques)5, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (4 plaques)6
There was, for a long period, no consensus on the attribution and
and in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (3 plaques) .
dating of this large group of plaques9. However, the thorough
7
art historical research Suzanne Higgott recently devoted to
In view of the individual themes and their fairly large
these plaques, led her to conclude that this substantial group
dimensions -the majority of plaques belonging to this group
was executed in an “anonymous Limoges workshop”, and should be
measure approximately 10 X 8 cm- it cannot be ruled out that
dated “c.1570-c.1625”. Her situation has now also been confirmed
the present set of three (four) originally belonged to the same
by material-technological research, whereby “the laboratory
ensemble as the four plaques in Los Angeles mentioned above
study of the chemical composition of the glass” does indeed indicate
and the one example in Baltimore8.
“an early manufacture, from 1560-1600”10.
16-17
A PAIR OF TAZZE
Paris (Sèvres ?)
2nd half 19th century
on copper gilt
h. 13,8 X diam. 20,3 cm
The present pair consists of two almost identical tazze.
inv. nos. DEC1530.1 and 1531.1
In the Thyssen collection these tazze bear the same inventory numbers as the two covers
Both comprise two components: a bowl and a foot. The bowl, which is decorated at the
top and bottom with intricate arabesques in gold, is attached to the foot near the knob.
Below the knob which is adorned with a plaited rope motif, are four lion heads. The foot
itself has gold arabesques, an egg and dart border and a twisted cable in gold to the rim.
(cat. nos. 10 and 11). They were acquired by Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza in
New York in 1966 together with the covers, and were at the time described as “a pair of
covered tazze”.
The tazze are a typical product of the Parisian art of enamelling in the second half of the
19th century. While the covers are, indeed, authentic pieces that were executed c.15701575 in the workshop of Pierre Reymond, by contrast, it seems likely that the pair of
tazze were commissioned in the 19th century by the then owner of the covers because the
original pieces were either lost or had suffered very severe damage.
Provenance
1965-1966.
1966-2002.
Literature
p.243.
M.L.M. Ansón, 1998, pp.132-136 and ill.8.
catalogue 14
86-87
1
2
J.-M. Ferrer, in: L’art de l’émail à Limoges, Limoges, 2005, pp.72-73.
Ferrer, o.c., pp.72-75 ; S. Netzer, Maleremails aus Limoges…, Berlin, 1999, no.28.
16-17
A PAIR OF TAZZE
The typical decorative patterns are the best evidence that the enameller who executed
the tazze was not only familiar with 16th century Limoges pièces de forme, but that he must
also have had first hand access to them -at the time photography was still in its infancy.
The four lion heads and the egg and dart border applied to the foot in grisaille, also the
twisted cable decoration to the rim and the line of miniature gilt rings, on the inside
of the bowl, all were taken directly from the oeuvre of Pierre Reymond. The deep black
background colour and the intense colour of the gilding may well indicate that the pair
was executed by the enamel workshop of la Manufacture nationale de Sèvres. In the event,
the possibility must be entertained of an attribution to Jacob Meyer-Heine (1805-1879),
under whose direction the workshop stood from 1845 onwards1, or to either Frédéric de
Courcy (1832-1910) or Alfred-Thomson Gobert (1822-1894), both of whom were active as
enamellers in Sèvres2.
catalogue 14
88-89
18-19
A PAIR OF CANDLESTICKS
Paris
2nd half 19th century
(last quarter 19th century ?)
on copper gilt
24,4 X 14,7 X 14,7 cm
The present pair comprise two almost identical square-footed candlesticks.
Both are composed of three parts fastened together with a screw underneath the base.
The tall, vertical stem surmounted by a collared drip pan, stands on a low square
knob. The square shape is also echoed in the rather flat foot with its decoration of
four medallions, each one adorned with the representation of a figure from antiquity.
Each of the four corners features a mask flanked by arabesques. While four masks with
arabesques are also represented on the knob, the decoration on the stem consists of two
inv. nos. DEC1533.1 and 1533.2
pairs of caryatids with vertical acanthus leaves and two pairs of arabesques with fruit
swags, vases and acanthus leaves.
Although Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza acquired the candlesticks clearly
in the belief that they were a pair of authentic 16th-century Limoges candlesticks, there
can be no doubt that they were produced in Paris roundabout the 2nd half -possibly even
in the last quarter- of the 19th century. Their vertical shape is slightly reminiscent of a type
that is, indeed, known to Limoges, albeit only in the 17th century1. There are, however,
several factors, all of which point to a production in the 19th century: the manner in
which the candlesticks are screwed together; the unusual decoration patterns; the
deviating style; the weaker quality; the deep black colour of the background; and the
fact that the candlesticks are lacking in weight -the underlying copper is particularly
thin. Moreover, this type of candlestick is not at all rare: they are, still regularly, offered
at auction2 or by unsuspecting antique dealers.
Provenance
The Antique Company of New York , New York,
1966.
1966-2002.
1
Literature
catalogue 14
2
90-91
Compare f.i. a Pair of Matching Candlesticks with Bellona and La Victoire in The Taft Museum in Cincinnati (Ph. Verdier, in: The Taft
Museum..., New York, 1995, pp.403-404) or a Candlestick with Allegorical Figures of the Four Seasons (S. Netzer, Maleremails aus Limoges…, Berlin, 1999, no.22).
For a very recent example, see: 17.06.2015, Paris, Tajan, lot 135.
A20
CASKET: THE WINEGROWING
Colin (Nicolas) II Nouailher
and workshop
Limoges
c.1540-1545
on copper gilt
in a partly original wooden,
leather-bound carcase
decorated with 18th or early 19th
century copper mounts
12,5 X 19,8 X 12 cm
The majority of plaques of the present casket1 represent scenes from The Winegrowing.
While on one plaque labourers are tackling the problem of vineyard snails, on the next,
bunches of ripe grapes are being harvested. Baskets are filled with grapes before being
emptied into enormous tubs, where the grapes are stomped by workers with their bare
feet. The last plaque culminates in the tasting of the young wine.
The plaques in the spandrels on both sides and the long narrow plaque at the top show
grotesques of swags, cornucopiae and profile portraits enclosed in laurel wreaths.
The various inscriptions (in a local dialect, the so-called Patois) which accompany these
illustrations are so fragmented as to be only partially legible (ills.A20a-b). They may have
come from the series of prints upon which these scenes were based, but identification of
the series has hitherto proved impossible.
Private collection
Even in the absence of an artist’s signature, the casket must have originated in the
workshop of Colin (Nicolas) II Nouailher (active before 1539-after 1571). The use of
numerous small naked figures is characteristic of the work executed in his workshop.
Not only that, the smooth, dark background and the summarily suggestion of a country
landscape, evoked by cobblestones and miniature trees, also confirm this attribution.
ill.A20a
Provenance
13-14.11.1928, Amsterdam, Fr. Müller, lot 93A.
Gabrielle, Baroness Bentinck-Thyssen-coll., Paris,
1947-1995.
Bernard Descheemaeker-Works of Art, Antwerp,
2004-2006.
priv. coll., 2006-2015.
Literature
A. Feulner, 1941, no.99, p.49.
Ph. Verdier, in: The Taft Museum. European Decorative
Arts, New York, 1995, p.350, note 4.
B. Descheemaeker, Newsletter 9, Antwerp, 2005, p.6.
and Limoges Painted Enamels, London, 2011, p.229,
note 26 and p.231.
ill.A20b
Exhibition
1970, Paris (Institut Néerlandais), Choix de la collection
Bentinck, 1970.
1986, Lausanne, La collection Bentinck-Thyssen.
catalogue 14
92-93
1
I sold this casket decorated with enamel plaques to the current owners in 2006. As it belonged to the collection of Baron Heinrich ThyssenBornemisza until 1947, the owners have granted me permission to include it in this catalogue as an addendum and to present it at the
accompanying exhibition, for which, it goes without saying, I am deeply grateful. However, contrary to all the other items in this catalogue,
this casket is not for sale.
A20
CASKET: THE WINEGROWING
Colin II Nouailher has produced various examples of such caskets, but this is the
only known example decorated with scenes from The Winegrowing. The very unique
iconography may well indicate that the casket was a specific commission, perhaps for
someone who was either personally involved with winegrowing or who knew how to
appreciate a good glass of wine.
The thirteen plaques are all in excellent condition, as is testified, in particular, by the
quality and state of the gilding. Nevertheless, the current copper-gilt mounts dates
from the 18th or the beginning of the 19th century. A large number of these caskets2
originally had leather mounts3, as is evidenced by the base underneath the casket, where
the leather has survived in the original state (ill.A20c). That, however, is also where the
wear and tear of the leather is clearly visible, making its removal and its replacement by
the present copper mounts understandable; fortunately, the original wooden core was
preserved completely.
ill.A20c
2The Hercules casket in Dresden (see also: cat. no. 6, ill.6a) mentioned in the inventory of the Kunstkammer of the Elector of Saxony,
compiled in 1640, is proof that not all of these caskets were originally made with leather mounts: “Ein Kästlein in form einer Bündladen,
darauff die Thaten Herculis von geschmelzter glas arbeit in Meßing eingefast, inwendig mit …” (see: U. Weinhold, Maleremail aus
Limoges…, Munich-Berlin, 2008, pp.11 and 43).
3 There are only a mere five 16th-century enamel caskets known to have survived with their original leather mounts. One of them is in the Musée
des Beaux-Arts of Limoges, while two others are in the Hermitage and the Musée de l’Hôtel Sandelin in Saint-Omer (see: B. Descheemaeker,
in: exh. cat.: 1996, Namur, Emaux de Limoges…, Namur, 1996, no.73 ; F. Barbe, in: exh. cat.: 2002, Limoges, La rencontre des héros…, Limoges, 2002, no.8 and p.48, ill.45 ; T. Rappé and L. Boulkina, in: exh. cat.: 2004, Limoges, Emaux limousins du Musée national de l’Ermitage…,
Limoges, 2004, no.54 ; T. Rappé and L. Boulkina, Les émaux peints de Limoges…, Saint Petersburg, 2005, no.29).
catalogue 14
94-95
Helenalei 7
2018 Antwerpen
Belgium
tel. + 32 3 225 15 56
fax. + 32 3 281 05 57
mob. + 32 476 32 55 77
[email protected]
www.worksofart.be
The Limoges Painted Enamels and the Seven Parisian Ivory Roundels
from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection.
This collection will be for sale and on view in my Antwerp gallery,
from Friday December 11th 2015 till Sunday January 10th 2016
by appointment only.
All prices available on request.
I publish a Newsletter or a catalogue every six months.
If you would like to receive those publications in the future,
just send me your name and address and you will receive your own copy.
You will then also be invited to all my future exhibitions.
For the acquisition of important new objects I am more than willing
to travel to your home whether here in Belgium or abroad.
COLOPHON
Editor: Bernard Descheemaeker, Antwerp
Research and Texts: Maria de Peverelli, London & Bernard Descheemaeker, Antwerp
English Translation (from the Dutch): Marilyn S. Zwaaf-Glazer, Amsterdam
Photographs: Congo JC, Antwerp
® Bernard Descheemaeker, Antwerp, October 2015

The Painted Limoges Enamels and the Seven

Transcription

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