French, Limoges, late 16th/ early 17th century

Private European collection

Overall, the condition of the enamels is very good, with minor dirt and wear to the surfaces consistent with age. There is minor rubbing to the gilding of the enamels. There is very minor stable craquelure to each of the surfaces. There are also some very minor scratches to the surfaces. There are some small chips to the enamelling, in particular to Christ's cloak in the Resurrection scene and to the edges. The frame is in good condition, with minor dirt and wear. The lower barley cane glass mount below the scene of Christ carrying the Cross is reattached and there are substantial glue residues. Therre is some mercury staining to the mirrored glass and the pieces of mirrored glass above the Christ with the Crown of Thorns scene have factured but are stable. There is some wear to the verre églomisé. There appear to be blue paint restorations to some of the edges of the verre églomisé panels and the paint has spread to some of the enamels. The applied gilt metal mounts are in good condition with minor dirt and wear. There is minor non-active worming to the wood core of the frame. The edges of the frame have some plaster restorations and there are some small losses to the wood at the back on the top and at the edges. There are some drilled holes to the back and later blue-green paint to the edges.
"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."

This impressive set of Limoges enamels follow Albrecht Dürer's celebrated Small Passion Series, which was one of the most popular sources for Limoges enamels from its publication in Nuremberg in 1511. The present group, set within their dazzling 18th-century mirrored glass and verre églomisé frame, give a sense of how such series were intended to be presented: as retables for private or public devotion. The present set of reliefs probably date to the late 16th century, following the gradual demise of grisaille, made fashionable by Pierre Reymond. They can be associated with a group of enamels also taken from Dürer's Small Passion Series, of which an exemplar is in the Wallace Collection, London (inv. no. c596). Much debate has surrounded the authorship of these enamels, with an attribution so far remaining elusive. However, in her seminal catalogue of the Wallace Collection enamels, Suzanne Higgott concludes that they date to circa 1570-1625, and that they constitute a French flowering of the so-called Dürer Revival, which occurred principally in Germany at the end of the 16th century. The present enamels were probably made at the same time, though probably not by the same workshop as the Wallace group. They exhibit a very similar colour palette, enhanced with well-preserved gilding, and, like the Wallace group, draw upon other graphic sources, such as Martin Schongauer's Christ Crowned With Thorns. Such mixing of sources adds a distinctive and varied character to this fine group.

RELATED LITERATURE
P. Verdier, The Walters Art Gallery: Catalogue of the Painted Enamels of the Renaissance, Baltimore, 1967, pp. 202-212, nos. 121-129; S. Higgott, The Wallace Collection: Catalogue of Glass and Limoges Painted Enamels, London, 2011, pp. 328-342, no. 85(a-x)