L12231

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Lot 8
  • 8

French, Limoges, second quarter 13th century

Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 GBP
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Description

  • Crozier head with the Annunciation
  • champlevé enamelled and gilt copper
  • French, Limoges, second quarter 13th century

Provenance

European nobleman, before 1870,
and thence by descent to the present owner

Condition

There is dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is a large lacuna to the right edge or the right face and there are losses to the spiked edge. There is a lacunae to the lower section, as well as a few further losses to the metalwork. One of the reptilian creatures on the bottom section is lost and the tail is lost from one of the remaining creatures. There are smaller losses to the creatures, including the loss of some of the enamel inlays. There is a large loss to the lower frieze of creatures around the knop and there is also a loss to the band around the middle. There are smaller losses to both friezes, including the loss of the enamel eyes of some of the creatures. The tops of two of the pinnacles of the crown above this are lost. There are losses to the champlevé enamelling and some discolouration, in particular to the lower section. There is greening to the metalwork, in particular to the lower section and to the top of the crozier by the lacuna. Otherwise, given the age and intracacy of the object, the condition is good.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

The present crozier head compares closely with four further croziers with the Annunciation dating to the second quarter of the 13th century; see those discovered in the tombs of Archbishop Gerhards II (1219-1258) in Bremen and Bishop Arnold I (1169-1183) in Trier (Taburet-Delahaye and Drake Boehm, op. cit. p. 326), as well as those in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 17.190.835) and published by Marquet de Vasselot (op. cit. no. 73). The group is characterised by a stem with salamander finials, an openwork knop with intertwined animals biting at each other's tail and a ridged arch like many other crozier heads but the elaborate foliate terminations and particularly the flattened modelling and composition of Mary and the angel are rare. The condition of the present crozier head suggests it may also have been buried with the bishop who carried it on his staff.

RELATED LITERATURE
J. J. Marquet de Vasselot, Les crosses limousines du XIIIe siècle, Paris, 1941, p. 240, no. 73; E. Taburet-Delahaye and B. Drake Boehm, L'oeuvre de Limoges. Emaux limousins du Moyen Age, exhib. cat. Musée du Louvre and Metropolitan Museum of Art, Paris, 1995, p. 326, no. 112; M-M Gauthier, É. Antoine and D. Gaborit-Chopin, Corpus des émaux méridionaux tome ii. L'apogée 1190-1215, Paris, 2011, pp. 184-5, 190-3, 200-1