France, circa 1550
This one of a kind, museum rarity, Renaissance gilt bronze ring features a Limoges enameled copper plaque superbly painted in shades of grey with Christ as the Man of Sorrows.
The enamel plaque measures 23 x 18 mm (15/16 x 11/16 in.)
The bezel measures 33 x 28 mm (1 5/16 x 1 1/8 in.)
Weight is 32.63 grams.
Approximate ring size is 11.5 – 12
It is possible that this ring is the only Limoges enamel 16th century ring in existence.
The depiction of Christ as the Man of Sorrows with open, half closed or closed eyes and the crown of thorns goes back to medieval Byzantine and Italian icons. The theme became especially popular during the Renaissance in the late 1400s, throughout 1500s and during the 1600s.
Limoges in France was an important center of enamel production using champlevé technique in the 12th-14th centuries. In the late 15th century the new enameling technique emerged in Limoges. Grisaille (from ‘grey’ in French) is the technique of painting in shades of grey in imitation of sculpture on a dark background. Throughout 1500s and until the decline of the industry around 1630, several dynastic workshops of Limoges produced various enamel objects painted ‘en grisaille’. Limoges enamel pieces like plaques painted with portraits and religious scenes, various vessels (plates, caskets, tazzas, candlesticks etc.) could be found in all major museums around the world. Jewelry is the rarest category of Limoges enamel objects and very few pieces have survived.
