Saint François de Sales (1567-1622) was one of the most important French theologians of the 17th century, and the author of the Introduction à la vie dévote. The Laudin were a dynasty of enamellers active in Limoges in this period, who frequently signed with their address. A comparable plaque by Jacques II Laudin, with the same distinctive framing elements, was at Sotheby's, 9 July 1992, lot 260.