French, Limoges, 1210-1220

Jose Graells, Barcelona, 1967
European noble collection

M.-M. Gauthier, É. Antione, and D. Gaborit-Chopin (eds.), Corpus des émaux méridionaux. Tome II. L’apogée 1190-1215, Paris, 2011, no. VC 8

Overall the condition of the enamel is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are a few areas of loss which appear to have been restored, in particular: to the top left corner; to the green enamel above Christ's proper right wrist; to areas of the dark blue and green enamel at either side of the saints' upper bodies; to the lower right side of the Resurrection scene; and to the top of the tombstone. Some of the areas of red in the top border are also restored, and there are some small patches of restoration at the border. There is some minor stable craquelure to the enamel, consistent with the material, in particular to the top of the plaque above God's hand, and to the enamel surrounding the Saints' upper bodies. There is a layer of varnish over these areas and some small sporadic restorations. There is very minor pitting to the enamel throughout. There are some larger pits around the Angels. There is rubbing to the gilding on the applied metal areas and to the saints' bodies. There are a few nicks to the metal, particularly to the top left edge and to the top half of the right edge. There are 10 small drill holes for mounting, and there is a small hole in the IHS XPS inscription at the top arm of the cross. There are some scratches to the reverse, which is no. 5 in Roman numerals. There is wear to the mount.
"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.
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This large central plaque from a book cover was last seen in the collection of Jose Graells in Barcelona in 1967 when it was recorded for the archive of Marie-Madeleine Gauthier (op.cit.). Originally the plaque would have had a raised metalwork border (usually with champlevé enamel decoration itself) and would have been mounted on a wooden board. Only a handful of book covers of this type have survived with their books intact, often in medieval monasteries such as that at St.-Gallen (see CEM, op.cit., no. VA 7). They tend to have the Crucifixion at the front and Christ in Majesty on the reverse. The workshops in Limoges first created book covers around 1185-1190. Because of their durability, and the efficient manner in which Limoges enamels could be produced and transported, the demand for these covers shot up throughout Europe in the early decades of the 13^th century, meaning that about ten times as many from this later period survive.

Plaques with the Crucifixion mostly follow the present composition: a blue background is divided in four quarters by the cross with Christ at its centre, angels fill the upper two registers and the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist, standing atop mounds that invoke Golgotha, fill the lower, the arison Adam or his skull lay at the base of the cross. The upper and lower edges tend to be decorated with waves, whilst the background is adorned with bands of colour or rosettes. The Virgin, Saint John, the risen Adam, and the angels are engraved and gilt rather than enamelled and usually enlivened by appliques which so often repeat the same model that they are likely to have been struck like coins. 

Of the 149 plaques with the Crucifixion recorded in the two volumes of the Corpus des émaux méridionaux, less than half have a full-length applique of Christ instead of an engraved body surmounted with an applique of just the head. Even though Adam features regularly, the fine detail of him lifting the convincingly rendered three-dimensional lid of his coffin under the suppedaneum appears only twice: on the plaque formerly in the Collection Aldao and that in the Church of San Vicente in Cardona (CEM, op.cit., nos. VC 62 and VB 9). Equally rare is the diagonal decoration on Adam’s coffin, five-tiered mounds consisting of flame-shapes on which the Virgin and Saint John stand, and the unframed clouds from which the angels emerge. Otherwise the appliques that represent Christ and the heads of the other figures are of superior quality and in an excellent state of preservation. The dark blue fields have retained a particularly rich cobalt shade.

RELATED LITERATURE
M.-M. Gauthier, É. Antione, and D. Gaborit-Chopin (eds.), Corpus des émaux méridionaux. Tome II. L’apogée 1190-1215, Paris, 2011, pp. 207-211, nos. VB 9 and VC 62