Lot Essay
Leonard Limousin was one of the most successful and original enamellers of the 16th century, and his small portraits of members of French royalty and the nobility were in great demand. The format of the present example - a three-quarter profile portrait on a blue ground in front of a table draped with a green cloth - was particularly popular, and can be seen on other enamels by Limousin in public collections such as his portrait of Henri II, Marguerite's brother, in the Louvre (see S. Baratte, Les Emaux peints de Limoges, Paris, 2000, no. OA 7548, p. 156).