Romanesque Christ from the Limoges Workshop, 12th-13th century.

Gilded copper.
…
Description

Romanesque Christ from the Limoges Workshop, 12th-13th century. Gilded copper. It presents breaks and losses in the gilding. Measurements: 7 x 12 cm. Devotional sculpture made in copper, which represents the body of Christ on the cross, although this is not conserved. The piece presents a figure of Christ triumphant, as he is awake and crowned as king of heaven. The Limoges workshop appeared in the last quarter of the 12th century and continued its activity until the 14th century. It flourished again in the 15th century with the new technique of painted enamel. It became the most important enamel workshop, ahead of the Rhineland and Meuse, which disappeared in the 12th century and were dedicated to the production of individual plates on commission, which were then mounted on an object or joined together to form altar frontals. In Limoges, on the other hand, the production of objects, no longer just plaques, decorated with enamels, began, above all for religious but also for secular use. They were cheaper, copper-based pieces, and very attractive because of the enamelled decoration, which made them a huge and immediate success throughout Europe. Limoges is also mentioned in documents, indicating that it was an important centre known throughout Western Europe. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Limoges is its very shallow background dragging, which does not go beyond two or three millimetres. To depict detail, such fine partitioning is used that it can only be distinguished from the excavated one by close observation through a magnifying glass. In Limoges, the enamels were applied according to the client's taste, filling only the background, only the figures, or both. As for the colour range, he used that of the Meuse workshops, which was very varied, but added new colours, such as olive green, a light greyish blue or white for the flesh tones.

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Romanesque Christ from the Limoges Workshop, 12th-13th century. Gilded copper. It presents breaks and losses in the gilding. Measurements: 7 x 12 cm. Devotional sculpture made in copper, which represents the body of Christ on the cross, although this is not conserved. The piece presents a figure of Christ triumphant, as he is awake and crowned as king of heaven. The Limoges workshop appeared in the last quarter of the 12th century and continued its activity until the 14th century. It flourished again in the 15th century with the new technique of painted enamel. It became the most important enamel workshop, ahead of the Rhineland and Meuse, which disappeared in the 12th century and were dedicated to the production of individual plates on commission, which were then mounted on an object or joined together to form altar frontals. In Limoges, on the other hand, the production of objects, no longer just plaques, decorated with enamels, began, above all for religious but also for secular use. They were cheaper, copper-based pieces, and very attractive because of the enamelled decoration, which made them a huge and immediate success throughout Europe. Limoges is also mentioned in documents, indicating that it was an important centre known throughout Western Europe. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Limoges is its very shallow background dragging, which does not go beyond two or three millimetres. To depict detail, such fine partitioning is used that it can only be distinguished from the excavated one by close observation through a magnifying glass. In Limoges, the enamels were applied according to the client's taste, filling only the background, only the figures, or both. As for the colour range, he used that of the Meuse workshops, which was very varied, but added new colours, such as olive green, a light greyish blue or white for the flesh tones.

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Medieval Romanesque Marble Head of a Saint. Late 12th-13th century A.D. Carved naturalistically in the round as a mature male figure with short wavy hair, full beard and moustache, his brow furrowed and mouth held slightly ajar; repaired. See Sauerländer, W., Gothic Sculpture in France 1140-1270, Ambrams, 1972; Cahn, W. and Seidel, L., Romanesque Sculpture in American Collections, 1: New England Museums, New York, 1979; Williamson, P., Gothic Sculpture 1140-1300, Yale University Press, 1995; Fogg, S., 30 Heads, stone heads from the 12th to the 15th century, London-New York, 2018. 3.8 kg, 18 cm (7 in.). The head was carved as an image of a saint, Apostle or a prophet. The accomplished and sophisticated style of carving on this head can be compared to some of the most celebrated Romanesque buildings of Southern France. The carving of the head resembles the representations of heads and faces of 12th century French Romanesque art, for example those of Saint Trophime in Arles. This imposing head once served as an important architectural part of a lavishly decorated church, possibly in western France. Its form and the size suggest that the head was not only decorative but that it would have been structurally important – perhaps part of a row of statues of apostles and prophets like those depicted on the Saint Trophime façade. Acquired in Europe before 1996. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11809-206816. (For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price.)