LIMOGES, LATE 13TH CENTURY

Details

A rectangular parcel-gilt and enamelled reliquary casket
LIMOGES, LATE 13TH CENTURY
The hinged triangular lid surmounted by an arched gable with pierced fluer-de-lys and bun finials, the body decorated overall with roundels containing half-length figures of winged angels
15 cm. high, 19 cm. wide and 6 cm. deep

Special notice

On occasion, Christie's has a direct financial interest in lots consigned for sale which may include guaranteeing a minimum price or making an advance to the consignor that is secured solely by consigned property. This is such a lot. This indicates both in cases where Christie's holds the financial interest on its own, and in cases where Christie's has financed all or a part of such interest through a third party. Such third parties generally benefit financially if a guaranteed lot is sold successfully and may incur a loss if the sale is not successful. Christie’s charges a premium to the buyer on the Hammer Price of each lot sold at the following rates: 29.75% of the Hammer Price of each lot up to and including €5,000, plus 23.8% of the Hammer Price between €5,001 and €400,000, plus 14.28% of any amount in excess of €400,001. Buyer’s premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.

Lot Essay

This gabled architectural form was one of the most popular types of reliquary produced by the Limoges enamellers, and the roundels here with the half-length figures of angels was a favoured motif. A smaller example was offered in the sale of enamels from the Keir Collection (Sotheby's, New York, 20 November 1997, lot 93), and a reliquary of very similar form - albeit without the pierced gable evident here - was included in the seminal work on Limoges by Ernest Rupin, L'Oeuvre de Limoges, Paris, 1890, p. 333, fig. 39.

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