Italian, Venice, circa 1500

with a label inscribed: L. Messel in pencil and another printed: Rinsewater dish, of Venetian enamel, spirally fluted, and with ornaments in gold on blue, green and white enamel.

The Messel Collection, Darmstadt, Germany;
by descent to Ludwig and Anne Messel, 104 Lancaster Gate, London, United Kingdom;
by descent to Leonard and Maud Messel, 104 Lancaster Gate, London, United Kingdom, until 1953;
by descent to Anne Messel, later Countess of Rosse (1902-1992), Birr Castle, Ireland;
by descent to William Brendan, 7^th Earl of Rosse (born 1936), Birr Castle, Ireland;
and thence by descent to the present owner

The surface of the gilding on the front has wear at the high points. The gilding on the restored blue edge of one of the outer lobes on the front was refreshed. An enamel plaque may have been at the centre of the dish. Course white enamel and a blue dot remain. There are 4, 6, 14, and 16cm. wide areas of restorations visible at the rim on the reverse, two of which affect the lobes as well. There are further restorations to the edge and centre of the base on the reverse. Otherwise the condition of the dish is stable with wear and some minor dirt to the surface consistent with age.
"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."

Venice has remained largely unrecognised as a major centre for the production of enamels.  For two periods in the 14^th and 15^th centuries, however, its workshops created some of the best enamelling in Europe. During the earlier period, Venetian goldsmiths creating luxury liturgical items in the Gothic style successfully employed a technique called basse-taille enamelling, in which translucent enamels were applied over an engraved silver background. A century later, one or more workshops emerged making a much wider range of objects, such as the present charger, using a more modern technique now referred to as painted enamel.

The earliest surviving painted enamels are Netherlandish, but by 1500, the French city of Limoges had become the centre for such work. Other schools tended to rely on the French method, but the Venetian enamels were painted using a technique which is more closely related to the earlier Netherlandish examples. The object, usually made of copper, was covered in a layer of white, opaque enamel and then fired. It was then gradually decorated with coloured enamels, here chiefly gros bleu and green, which required further firings of different duration and temperature. Once enamelled, the object was finished with gilt patterns. Since production in Venice was fairly small, Venetian Renaissance enamels are rare.

RELATED LITERATURE
P. Verdier, Walters Art Gallery, Catalogue of Painted Enamels of the Renaissance, Baltimore, 1967, pp. 4-8