The Lord's Prayer VIII Christ visiting a Dying Man: M.49F-1904

Current Location: In storage

Titles

The Lord's Prayer VIII Christ visiting a Dying Man

Maker(s)

Maker: Nouailher, Colin
Printmaker: Monogrammist C. V. (After)
Holbein, Hans, the younger (After)

Entities

Description

Rectangular copper plaque enamelled en grisaille with a little pink and red, and gilded. Christ visiting a dying man. Inscribed below MAIS DELIVRE NOVS DV’/two shallow scrolls with fleur-de-lys below, ‘MALIN AMEN’ (But deliver us from evil, Amen). One of a set with M.49A-E-1904.

Rectangular convex copper plaque with a hole in each corner, enamelled en grisaille with some pink and a spot of red, on a black ground, and gilded. Clear, uneven counter-enamel with several blobs in the middle of the right side, and near to the lower left and lower right corners. An outdoor setting with trees on the right and in the centre. A sick or dying man lies propped up on cushions on a bed covered by a blanket. He looks towards Christ, who stands behind bed. A lame man stands at its end. A woman wearing a cloak over her head stands or sits beside the bed close to the invalid holding a candle with a red flame. Behind and to the left is a man wearing a hat, and a younger bare-headed man moves towards the centre. In the left foreground in front of the bed, is a small table decorated with gold scrolls, with a dish and a jar on it. Across the bottom of the plaque is a white panel inscribed in black and gold,‘MAIS DELIVRE NOVS DV’/two shallow scrolls with fleur-de-lys below, ‘MALIN AMEN’ (But deliver us from evil, Amen). A gold line runs round the scene and inscription. The reverse is inscribed in black with the number ‘VIII’. The plaque is set in an ill-fitting, rectangular, gilt-metal frame with repeating formal leaf border. The plaque is held into the frame by four bent over pins attached to the cardinal points on the reverse.

Notes

History note: Uncertain before testator; an as yet unidentified French sale in which the set was lot 289.

Legal notes

Frank McClean Bequest

Place(s) associated

Limoges ⪼ Haute Vienne ⪼ France

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1904) by McClean, Frank

Dating

Mid 16th century
Circa 1540 CE - Circa 1550 CE

Note

The scenes on the plaques were inspired by a set of metalcuts by the Basel monogrammist C.V. after Holbein which appeared in Desiderio Erasmus's 'Precatio dominica in septem portiones', published by both Johann Froben and Johannes Bebel successively in Basle in 1524. The work was first published in Basel without illustrations in 1523, and was rapidly translated into modern languages. The illustrations in the Froben and Bebel editions have the inscriptions in Latin, but a set of eight prints issued separately a little later with inscriptions in French, signed CV, is in the British Museum (1904.0206, 64,1-8;) and seven of the set (no. 4 is missing) are in the Cabinet des Estampes, Bibliothèque nationale, Paris (EA 25c in fol., p. 57). While the iconography of all the plaques was derived from these prints, the details differ considerably, in some scenes more than others. See Documentation.

The series was attributed to Colin Nouailher by Alfred Darcel (1867)and his attribution was upheld by J.J. Marquet de Vasselot (1919-20) and Sophie Baratte (2000). This attribution is confirmed by the presence of the initials CN below the title on a plaque from the Lord’s Prayer decorated with the 'Deliver us from Evil' scene, acquired by the Musée de l’Évêché, Limoges, in 2007 (2007.5.2) with another plaque of the 'Give us our daily bread' scene (2007.5.1). Plaques decorated with scenes from the Lord's Prayer were also executed by other Limoges enamellers.

This plaque originally formed part of a set of eight panels illustrating the Lord's Prayer, of which six are in the Fitzwilliam (M.49A-F-1904). The first shows ' Christ instructing the Disciples how to pray' (Matthew, VI, 6-8), the others have scenes associated with the Lord's Prayer which follows (Matthew VI, 9-13). This plaque illustrates the last line, 'But deliver us from evil, Amen' (Matthew VI, 13). There are at least three more recorded plaques of this subject. See Documentation.

School or Style

Renaissance

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamel ( white, pink, red, and black) gold
Plaque composed of copper Height 12 cm Width 9.6 cm
Frame Height 13.4 cm Width 10.6 cm