Slightly domed circular plate in painted polychrome enamel w - Lot 115

Slightly domed circular plate in painted polychrome enamel with gold highlights depicting Charlemagne from the Preux series, salmon counter-enamel. The emperor is shown in left profile on an erect horse, covered with a caparison decorated with fine foliage and bearing the coat of arms of his owner, part d'Empire, which is Or, an eagle displayed sable, membered and diademed gules ; and de France, which is azure, three fleurs-de-lis Or; in armor, with a scimitar at his belt, he wears a pointed hat and a turban with two strips of cloth. Inscribed on the upper rim CHA[R]LES MAGNE, letter H in the field. Limoges, attributed to Colin Nouailher, circa 1540/45 D. approx. 21 cm In a molded and blackened wood frame (minor restorations) Provenance : - Private collection of Julien Bellenguez, solicitor in Amiens, acquired between the wars. This depiction of Charlemagne was inspired by engravings by the Dutch artist Corneliscz van Oostsanen illustrating the procession of the Preux and the twelve kings of Judah (fig a.). It is undoubtedly part of the same large-scale series as the three medallions in the Musée du Louvre depicting Joshua, David and Judas Maccabaeus (inv. MR 2525 to MR 2527, figs. b, c and d). Each of these plaques features a gold letter in the field: D (Joshua), E (David), F (Judas Maccabaeus), H here on Charlemagne. Another common feature pointed out by Sophie Baratte in her book on Louvre enamels is the uneven ground, with a mound on the left. The Louvre's curator also mentions the presence of other plates from the same series: a Julius Caesar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv.28-217-2), and an Alexander at Madrid's Museo Lázaro Galdiano. In an article devoted exclusively to the series of nine Preux, Anne-Marie Bautier, a leading specialist in Limoges painted enamels, traces the particular craze for this chivalric theme in Europe from the 14th century onwards. She explains that these emblematic figures were grouped into triads. Charlemagne, depicted among these heroes, belongs to that of the great sovereigns, alongside Alexander and David. Works consulted: - L. Carolus-Barré, Les armes de Charlemagne dans l'héraldique et l'iconographie médiévale, in Mémorial du voyage en Rhénanie de la Société nationale des Antiquaires de France, 1953. - A.M. Bautier, "Les Neuf Preux et les Paladins dans les émaux peints de Limoges" in Bulletin de la Société nationale des Antiquaires de France, 1989, pp. 321-348. - S. Baratte, Les émaux peints de Limoges, Musée du Louvre, Paris, 2000, pp. 67-68.