Book Cover Plaque with Christ in Majesty

French

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 304

The earliest known textual reference to the famous enamels produced in the city of Limoges during the twelfth through the fourteenth century concerns a book cover seen in the Abbey of Saint Victor in Paris in the 1160s and intended for an English abbot. Plaques showing Christ in Majesty surrounded by symbols of the evangelists, usually paired with a plaque showing the Crucifixion, were produced in large numbers by Limoges enamelers. The textures and patterns created through the engraving and stippling of the five appliqué figures make this a particularly noteworthy example.

Book Cover Plaque with Christ in Majesty, Copper (plaque): engraved, scraped, stippled, and gilt; (appliqués): repoussé, engraved, chased, and gilt; champlevé enamel: blue-black, dark, medium, and light blue; green, yellow, red, brownish red, and white, blue-black glass inset eyes., French

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Book Cover Plaque with Christ in Majesty, Copper (plaque): engraved, scraped, stippled, and gilt; (appliqués): repoussé, engraved, chased, and gilt; champlevé enamel: blue-black, dark, medium, and light blue; green, yellow, red, brownish red, and white, blue-black glass inset eyes., French
Book Cover Plaque with Christ in Majesty, Copper (plaque): engraved, scraped, stippled, and gilt; (appliqués): repoussé, engraved, chased, and gilt; champlevé enamel: blue-black, dark, medium, and light blue; green, yellow, red, brownish red, and white, blue-black glass inset eyes., French

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