A book-cover in the Kensington Museum, of very fine workmanship, with several small figure compositions enamelled on gold, is attributed to Cellini. Works by him in jewellery, vases, salt-cellars, &c., are preserved in various museums on the Continent. Cellini spent five years in France, ending the year 1540, where he executed some works for Francis I., notably the fine salt-cellar now at Vienna.
The art of enamelling on reliefs was introduced to France by Italian artists during the early years of the fourteenth century, and about the same time to Flanders. We read of a manufactory of this kind of enamelling as having existed in 1317 at Montpellier, the seat of the royal Mint.
“Painted enamels,” as we have seen, were suggested by the translucent enamels on relief. Painted enamels were first made at Limoges, and also brought to great perfection at the same place. Any painted enamels found in Italy are Limoges enamels or the work of Limousin artists. The fifteenth century was the period during which the painted enamels were brought to perfection. In the earlier part of the century the enamel was applied directly to the plate of metal and united to it by fusion; but later, towards the middle of the century, a ground of translucent enamel coating was laid on the metal, over the engraved outline of the design, and on this transparent flux the colours were applied. The outlines of the design, which appeared through the transparent coating, were then covered over with a dark-coloured enamel; the various parts, such as draperies, background, and sky, were then laid in with thick coatings of enamel; the spaces left for the flesh tints were filled in with black or violet enamel; and the modelling of the flesh was obtained by layers of white enamel in varying degrees of thickness, leaving the darker violet parts for shade or shadows, and thicker layers represented the highest lights. Thus, all the flesh tints in enamels of this period are slightly brownish or violet in hue.
The other parts of the design were left without shadow, or sometimes the highest points in the hair or draperies would have little fine touches of gold pencillings, in order to bring out some kind of relief. Imitations of precious stones or jewellery on the dresses were brought out in translucent bits of enamel.
An entire change in the process is seen in the Limoges painted enamels of the sixteenth century. The plate of metal was covered with a layer of black or some very dark-coloured enamel, and the design carefully outlined in white. The whole work was then modelled up with white, laid on in varying thicknesses, so as to produce an effect of light and shade called grisaille (grey), the flesh tints being slightly higher in relief than the other parts, and a flesh-coloured enamel being always employed. Fine touchings of white and gold were added to finish off the work.
To make a coloured enamel of the grisaille work it was only necessary to add a thin transparent coating of coloured enamel.
Some splendid effects of a translucent character were obtained in the enamels of this period by the use of gold and silver leaf (paillon) fixed on the enamel ground behind the draperies and other accessories, and sometimes on the backgrounds. Over this leaf of shining metal transparent enamels were painted. Armour, imitation jewellery, and other accessories were rendered by this means of a rich and dazzling brilliancy. In the Kensington Collection many examples of this kind of enamelling may be seen.
One work amongst others is an oval plaque of the sixteenth-century Limoges enamel, which has a representation of a warrior on horseback, and has portions of the armour in translucent enamel. The horse is white, and the groundwork dark. It is one of the best works of the Courtois family.
The enamel painters of Limoges had many methods and secrets in the exercise of their art, and, as a rule, kept them in their families. Generally speaking, we find many enamellers of the same name and family, and their works bear also a strong family likeness, both in subject, colour, and methods.
The greatest name amongst these Limoges artists is Léonard Limousin. This surname was bestowed on him by Francis I. to distinguish him from Leonardo da Vinci. Léonard Limousin was the chief enameller to this monarch, and worked at his art between the years of 1532-74. Léonard in his early works copied his subjects from engravings of the German school of artists, but at a later period, owing to the influence of the Italian artists that were brought to the Court of Francis I., he adopted the subjects of Raphael and the Italian masters. He also improved at this period in his colour and drawing. Some of his best works are those that he painted in the year 1553 for the Sainte-Chapelle by order of Henry II., which consist of two magnificent frames of pictures in enamel, now in the Louvre, and which are acknowledged as his masterpieces. He also excelled in portraits, among which from his hand are those of the Duke de Guise, the Constable de Montmorenci, and that of Catherine de’ Medici in her mourning robes, taken after the death of Henry II. A full-length portrait of Henry II. is preserved in the Louvre, executed by Léonard. The monarch is represented in the character of St. Thomas, and is painted on a white enamel ground, as several other works by this artist are similarly executed. This style of work looks, however, too much like majolica painting, and was not persevered in to any great extent. Léonard was noted for some good original work, both in oils and enamel; but, generally speaking, the Limoges enamellers were fond of copying subjects from German, Italian, and French engravers, who engraved many works after the great painters of these countries. The German engravers were known under the name of the “Petits-Maîtres,” many of whom were pupils or imitators of Albert Dürer. Some of the more important were Heinrich Aldegrever, Hans Sebald Behan, Virgilis Solis, Theodore de Bry, Jean Collaert, Albrecht Altdorfen, and Georg Pens. Two celebrated French engravers who supplied many designs for the Limoges enamellers were Étienne de Laulne, known also as Stephanus, and Pierre Woeiriot, the former a copper-plate and the latter a wood engraver. The Courtois and Raymond enamels have many subjects from the designs of Étienne de Laulne. Another engraver, Marc Antonio Raimondi, of the Italian school (1500-1540), supplied copies of the works of Raphael to the Limousin enamellers, and also to the Italian majolica painters. This engraver was the most celebrated of his time. He was a pupil at first of “Francia the Goldsmith,” learnt much from Albert Dürer and Lucas van Leyden, and was the engraver of many of the works of Raphael, which he executed in what is known as his Roman method.