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Lot Essay
The composition depicting a battle between mounted and infantry soldiers in antique armour derives from a drawing produced in Raphael’s (1483-1520) workshop around 1516–1520, directly connected with the preparation of the great cycle for the Sala di Costantino in the Vatican Apostolic Palace. The fresco of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, executed by Giulio Romano (1499-1546) and Raphael’s collaborators between 1520 and 1524, constitutes the painted reference for our model. Marco Dente da Ravenna (c. 1486⁄93-1527) produced the first engraved version, in burin, around 1520, then known as the Battle with a Cutlass. The authorship of the original drawing, long attributed to Raphael himself, is now generally given to Giulio Romano. The plate was subsequently published by Antonio Salamanca. The Augsburg etcher Hieronymus Hopfer (active c. 1520-1550) made a copy after it, slightly reduced in size and reversed. It is this version that our enamel follows closely, as demonstrated in particular by the group of soldiers with raised lances in the background.
A tondo sold by the french auction house Beaussant Lefèvre in March 2025, depicting the same scene in grisaille with a standard-bearer bearing the initials I. P., attests to another use of this model in Limoges enamel; it is attributed to an enameller of the Pénicaud family, Jean II or Jean III (ca. 1515 - ca. 1588 and active late 16th century, respectively), and dated to the mid-sixteenth century. Although the use of grisaille may associate our plaque with the work of the Pénicauds, it may also be compared with compositions by the Master of K.I.P., active around 1550 and known for his small-scale productions. The latter, however, is distinguished by a coarser treatment, whereas our plaque displays remarkable finesse and precision in its rendering of the highly accentuated musculature of both the men and the horses.
A tondo sold by the french auction house Beaussant Lefèvre in March 2025, depicting the same scene in grisaille with a standard-bearer bearing the initials I. P., attests to another use of this model in Limoges enamel; it is attributed to an enameller of the Pénicaud family, Jean II or Jean III (ca. 1515 - ca. 1588 and active late 16th century, respectively), and dated to the mid-sixteenth century. Although the use of grisaille may associate our plaque with the work of the Pénicauds, it may also be compared with compositions by the Master of K.I.P., active around 1550 and known for his small-scale productions. The latter, however, is distinguished by a coarser treatment, whereas our plaque displays remarkable finesse and precision in its rendering of the highly accentuated musculature of both the men and the horses.