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Résurrection du Christ
Details
PROBABLEMENT JEAN II PENICAUD (ACTIF 1531-1549), LIMOGES, MILIEU DU XVIE SIÈCLE
Résurrection du Christ
plaque en émail peint polychrome et rehauts d'or, le contre-émail en fondant, le tombeau avec l'inscription sur un cartouche de cuir découpé "SEPVLCRVN / CRISSTI.", le revers marqué du poinçon "P" couronné
23,5 x 17,8 cm (9 ¼ x 7 in.)
Résurrection du Christ
plaque en émail peint polychrome et rehauts d'or, le contre-émail en fondant, le tombeau avec l'inscription sur un cartouche de cuir découpé "SEPVLCRVN / CRISSTI.", le revers marqué du poinçon "P" couronné
23,5 x 17,8 cm (9 ¼ x 7 in.)
Provenance
Collection particulière, Paris.
Literature
Bibliographie comparative :
V. Notin, "La légende de saint Martial, enquête sur un ensemble émaillé de Jean II Pénicaud tombé dans l'oubli" in. Bulletin de la société archéologique et historique du Limousin, 2015, pp. 239-256.
V. Notin, "La légende de saint Martial, enquête sur un ensemble émaillé de Jean II Pénicaud tombé dans l'oubli" in. Bulletin de la société archéologique et historique du Limousin, 2015, pp. 239-256.
Further Details
AN ENAMELED PLAQUE OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, PROBABLY JEAN II PÉNICAUD (ACTIVE 1531–1549), LIMOGES, MID-16TH CENTURY
Attributed to Jean II Pénicaud, this enamel plaque depicting the Resurrection of Christ belongs to the production of the Limoges workshops of the mid-16th century, a period marked by the dissemination of Northern European engraved models and the rise of Italian Mannerism.
Active in Limoges over several generations, the Pénicaud family poses an attributional challenge due to the collective functioning of the workshop. The presence on the reverse of a crowned “P” mark, interpreted notably by the Musée du Louvre as a mark of the Pénicaud workshop, supports this familial attribution without allowing for absolute certainty regarding a specific hand. Within this important family, Jean II Pénicaud, probably the son of Nardon and active around 1540, is considered one of the most significant Limoges enamellers of his time and one of the pioneers of the Mannerist style in painted enamel. His body of work, however, remains difficult to define precisely. His grisaille works, the most well known, clearly display his Mannerist style, with highly characteristic faces and elongated bodies. By contrast, the rare polychrome works seem to reflect a different approach, less systematic in the construction of figures. Within this corpus of polychrome works, several stylistic comparisons support the attribution of the present plaque. The treatment of the armour, with its blue tones, as well as the rendering of musculature and the eyes with strongly defined upper eyelids, recalls a plaque by Jean II Pénicaud in the Louvre (inv. OA 2524), bearing the mark and signed “IP.” Similarly, a Resurrection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (inv. 45.60.18), attributed to Jean II or Jean III Pénicaud (active 1584-1613), presents a comparable arrangement of secondary scenes, though with a more archaic treatment. These features, particularly the emerald green, deep blue, and vivid red palette, as well as the sense of order, hierarchy, and attention to figures outlined with clear contours, also evoke the works of Léonard Limousin, a contemporary of Jean II Pénicaud, whose works are sometimes confused with one another.
The composition adopts a particularly elaborate system of continuous narrative. In the foreground, the triumphant Christ rises from the tomb, following a scheme disseminated by an engraving by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528): the same drapery tied across the torso, the same gesture of blessing, and the same banner, while on the right a sleeping soldier, whose legs are closely pressed together, reinforces the connection to the printed model. In the background, the artist depicts several secondary episodes. On the right, the Holy Women approach the tomb (also present in the engraving but placed on the left of the central composition). On the left appears the episode Noli me tangere. This juxtaposition of events drawn from biblical texts, whose order does not follow a strict chronology, invites a sequential reading of the image. The use of Dürer’s engraving fully reflects the practices of 16th-century Limoges workshops, where prints, widely circulated across Europe, served as a key repertoire of compositions. In this context, other engraved sources may also have been used, particularly compositions by Thomas de Leu (1560-1612).
The attention given to the landscape, structured by idealised architecture inspired by antiquity or the Renaissance, allows Jean II Pénicaud and his circle to organise the narrative while enriching the depth of the scene. As Véronique Notin has noted regarding plaques from the cycle of Saint Martial, pre-empted for the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Limoges (Christie’s, Paris, 5 November 2014, lot 39), these backgrounds may very loosely evoke monuments or urban structures visible in Limoges in the 16th century, now lost. This hypothesis is supported by plaques from the same cycle sold on the Paris art market in 2024 (sale Me Giquello, Paris, Drouot, 26 June 2024, lot 91) and acquired by the Fondation du Luxembourg, also for the Limoges museum, in which the city is depicted with architectural details that make it possible to recognise, among other things, the now-destroyed Abbey of Saint-Martial. In the case of the present plaque, however, the architectural elements do not allow for precise identification with known monuments in 16th-century Limoges.
Through the quality of its execution, the complexity of its narrative construction, and the richness of its references, this plaque fits coherently within the body of work of Jean II Pénicaud and his family workshop.
Attributed to Jean II Pénicaud, this enamel plaque depicting the Resurrection of Christ belongs to the production of the Limoges workshops of the mid-16th century, a period marked by the dissemination of Northern European engraved models and the rise of Italian Mannerism.
Active in Limoges over several generations, the Pénicaud family poses an attributional challenge due to the collective functioning of the workshop. The presence on the reverse of a crowned “P” mark, interpreted notably by the Musée du Louvre as a mark of the Pénicaud workshop, supports this familial attribution without allowing for absolute certainty regarding a specific hand. Within this important family, Jean II Pénicaud, probably the son of Nardon and active around 1540, is considered one of the most significant Limoges enamellers of his time and one of the pioneers of the Mannerist style in painted enamel. His body of work, however, remains difficult to define precisely. His grisaille works, the most well known, clearly display his Mannerist style, with highly characteristic faces and elongated bodies. By contrast, the rare polychrome works seem to reflect a different approach, less systematic in the construction of figures. Within this corpus of polychrome works, several stylistic comparisons support the attribution of the present plaque. The treatment of the armour, with its blue tones, as well as the rendering of musculature and the eyes with strongly defined upper eyelids, recalls a plaque by Jean II Pénicaud in the Louvre (inv. OA 2524), bearing the mark and signed “IP.” Similarly, a Resurrection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (inv. 45.60.18), attributed to Jean II or Jean III Pénicaud (active 1584-1613), presents a comparable arrangement of secondary scenes, though with a more archaic treatment. These features, particularly the emerald green, deep blue, and vivid red palette, as well as the sense of order, hierarchy, and attention to figures outlined with clear contours, also evoke the works of Léonard Limousin, a contemporary of Jean II Pénicaud, whose works are sometimes confused with one another.
The composition adopts a particularly elaborate system of continuous narrative. In the foreground, the triumphant Christ rises from the tomb, following a scheme disseminated by an engraving by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528): the same drapery tied across the torso, the same gesture of blessing, and the same banner, while on the right a sleeping soldier, whose legs are closely pressed together, reinforces the connection to the printed model. In the background, the artist depicts several secondary episodes. On the right, the Holy Women approach the tomb (also present in the engraving but placed on the left of the central composition). On the left appears the episode Noli me tangere. This juxtaposition of events drawn from biblical texts, whose order does not follow a strict chronology, invites a sequential reading of the image. The use of Dürer’s engraving fully reflects the practices of 16th-century Limoges workshops, where prints, widely circulated across Europe, served as a key repertoire of compositions. In this context, other engraved sources may also have been used, particularly compositions by Thomas de Leu (1560-1612).
The attention given to the landscape, structured by idealised architecture inspired by antiquity or the Renaissance, allows Jean II Pénicaud and his circle to organise the narrative while enriching the depth of the scene. As Véronique Notin has noted regarding plaques from the cycle of Saint Martial, pre-empted for the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Limoges (Christie’s, Paris, 5 November 2014, lot 39), these backgrounds may very loosely evoke monuments or urban structures visible in Limoges in the 16th century, now lost. This hypothesis is supported by plaques from the same cycle sold on the Paris art market in 2024 (sale Me Giquello, Paris, Drouot, 26 June 2024, lot 91) and acquired by the Fondation du Luxembourg, also for the Limoges museum, in which the city is depicted with architectural details that make it possible to recognise, among other things, the now-destroyed Abbey of Saint-Martial. In the case of the present plaque, however, the architectural elements do not allow for precise identification with known monuments in 16th-century Limoges.
Through the quality of its execution, the complexity of its narrative construction, and the richness of its references, this plaque fits coherently within the body of work of Jean II Pénicaud and his family workshop.
Brought to you by
Olivia Ghosh
Specialist