15929706690001312637261000Standard Recordobject-156459170914335111817091151100001709143347331fitz-onlineadlib-object-156459https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/1564594b747f33-7b62-32e1-bd49-e033aad91d728referenceagent-207554adlib-agent-207554baf3f648-050b-3d31-8502-940897b38eeaSpencer-Churchill, John, 7th Duke of Marlborough (1822–1883)personreferenceagent-149696adlib-agent-149696c1d7b5bf-63d4-3ba4-a080-9810b80bf16cChristpersonreferenceagent-154123adlib-agent-1541232fef3fa1-e550-35f4-b4de-2ced0eb2272aVirgin Marypersonreferenceagent-179463adlib-agent-1794639ffb6937-b0fb-3266-b482-edebcfa4e0a6Mary Magadalenepersonreferenceagent-153247adlib-agent-153247363ad1b4-deb4-39c5-b401-49f5079f98bbSt Johnpersonreferenceagent-179462adlib-agent-17946251372307-6119-3f52-b215-bf73405afcc4St Longinuspersonreferenceagent-179464adlib-agent-179464863ecf33-2ced-3680-b7b3-44d12b93815eSt Dismareferenceterm-107563adlib-term-10756338dcd825-1de1-3222-82c6-15a95729b5ffenamelsreferenceterm-125750adlib-term-1257502b10ac09-63c3-34ed-87d5-487058c1c344Limoges painted enamelsreferenceterm-117089adlib-term-11708970d59fbc-64f7-304e-a336-bf6d65a433a8Louis C. G. Clarkereferenceterm-107470adlib-term-107470f6217ee1-61ca-3c57-92a1-dd13e97bc77cgilt-metalWidthcm22.4Framereferenceterm-121155adlib-term-121155b898c0dc-7140-33c8-981b-6801b109c452castingreferenceterm-28681adlib-term-28681c1f659e2-1209-31cf-8ff4-154e11452559gildingreferenceterm-32638adlib-term-3263897b8d1a5-7b8f-3a2a-a275-7d001aeaae2benamelreferenceterm-39593adlib-term-39593e3e2a3f8-2433-3f63-9bcf-e776644d312dgoldDecorationrectangular slightly convex copper plaque, enamelled in bright blue, dark blue, turquoise, green, yellow, tan-brown, mulberry, purple grey, black, and white, and gilded. The reverse has clear counter-enamel with slight cloudiness here and there,over scratched criss-crossed lines and small groups of horizontal lines.referenceterm-28662adlib-term-28662dd47e505-ccda-3f2b-b576-6104109430e8enamellingreferenceterm-28681adlib-term-28681c1f659e2-1209-31cf-8ff4-154e11452559gildingreferenceterm-39588adlib-term-39588b17ff981-06b2-30a2-b9a9-b514fe84a191copperHeightcm24.4Widthcm20.4PlaqueHeightcm26.4Frame At SideHeightcm28.4Frame At Centrereferenceterm-108432adlib-term-108432a486efc4-a304-3aa3-93bd-528fc7ebaff4New TestamentApplied ArtsCopper enamelled in polychrome and gilded. The Crucifixion, signed ‘LEONARDVS/ LEMOVICVS/.1536’.Rectangular slightly convex copper plaque, enamelled in bright blue, dark blue, turquoise, green, yellow, tan-brown, mulberry, purple grey, black, and white, and gilded. The reverse has clear counter-enamel with slight cloudiness here and there, over scratched criss-crossed lines and small groups of horizontal lines.
Christ hangs on the Cross with a titulus inscribed ‘INRI’ in black. Blood streams from his wounds, and he wears a green crown of thorns, and a white loin cloth which billows out on either side of the Cross. Above there are four cherubs' heads, and, on the left the sun, and on the right, the crescent moon with a face. Lower down on each side there is a group of three cherubs' heads amid clouds. The blue sky is scattered with tiny gold stars. The repentant sinner, St Disma, hangs peacefully on a cross on the left. His soul is shown above his cross as a small nude figure being lifted to heaven by two angels. The urepentant sinner hangs contortedly on a rustic cross on the right. His soul is shown above being seized by a green devil.
On each side of the Cross, there is a crowd with three horsemen on the left and two on the right. One on the left, St Longinus, spears Christ’s side, and another holds a billowing flag. On the extreme left is a man holds a standard with a helmet below, and, on a panel beneath it, the date ‘1536’ in black. Closer to the Cross a youth holding a pole with a panel inscribed ‘.VENI’. On the right of the Cross a man holds a pole with a tabella ansata initialled ‘LL.’. St Mary Magdalene kneels at the foot of the Cross which has a skull on the grass in front of it. In the left foreground, the swooning Virgin Mary is supported by Mary (the mother of James?) and St John. In the foreground to right are three men fighting over Christ’s garment, and in the lower right corner, two playing cards, and three dice on the ground. A panel at bottom centre, is signed ‘LEONARDVS/ LEMOVICVS/.1536’.In the landscape background there are is a large dark blue town or palace, a column of soldiers, and on the right, bushy turquoise trees. Gilding is used to outline and shade the costume, for the poles and standards, and the graining on the wood of the central Cross.
The cast gilt-metal alloy frame, is decorated with acanthus leaves alternating with circular cabochon-like motifs, and has at top centre two winged putti holding a coronet over a ducal crown (?). The panel is held in position on the back by flat copper strips soldered to the frame.referenceexhibition-1987adlib-exhibition-1987d4014c64-96ea-3161-bdd4-781601f731a8Catalogue of the Special Loan Exhibition of Enamels on MetalM.112-19611accession numberM.112-1961156459priref156459urihttps://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/156459https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/156459on frontpainted in blackLEONARDVS/ LEMOVICVS/.1536signatureon front, on pole with a tabella ansatapainted in blackLLinitialson Crosspainted in blackINRIinscriptionrectangular paper label printed in the centre with '1'on backprinted in black1labelreferenceagent-149638adlib-agent-1496387376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8The Fitzwilliam MuseumLouis.C.G. Clarke Bequest, 1960referenceagent-149875adlib-agent-14987589f52d0e-b912-3dc9-8b2c-61d6aa011b16Clarke, Louis Colville Gray196119611961-04-27bequeathedbequeathed 19601536CE1536the frame is probably pre 1862dated1536probablymakerreferenceagent-79998adlib-agent-799988b231843-3ad1-36a8-8be1-daf567af41aeLimosin, LéonardThe Crucifixion was one of the subjects most frequently depicted on Limoges enamels in the first half of the sixteenth century. Here the scene includes persons mentioned in the Gospels - the Virgin Mary, St John and Mary Magdelene - with St Longinus, who by tradition was the soldier who pierced the crucified Christ’s side with his lance. The scene has a rather agitated character produced by crowds of small figures and horses around the Cross, which is very different from Léonard Limosin's later plaques of religious or mythological subjects. In 1986 Madeleine Marcheix, when discussing his oval Crucifixion plaque of 1556, in the Musée de l'Évêché, Limoges (inv. 857-4426) accepted this plaque as characteristic of his work during the period 1535-40, before he adopted a more overtly Mannerist style. Details of this Crucifixion, such as the treatment of the trees, and grasses in the foreground, and the intense, almost scowling facial expressions with a dark pupil to the eye close to the nose on some figures, can be compared with those on two plaques decorated with scenes from the life of St Anthony in the British Museum, which bear the arms of Jean de Langeac, bishop of Limoges, and are initialled and dated 1536 (1913,1220.28 and 1922,0707.1).
Léonard Limosin was to become enameller to Francis I in the late 1540s, and his brilliant portrait plaques, and other enamels became highly sought after by collectors in the nineteenth century. The existence of four or five almost similar Crucifixion plaques either initialled or signed and dated 1535 and or 1536 raised doubts about their authenticity. (see the bibliography for references to these) However, ion beam analysis of the composition of this plaque's enamels in 2012 indicated that their elements and impurities are closely comparable to those used on other sixteenth-century enamels. The plaque's provenance also supports an early date. The production of pastiches of Renaissance enamels was already rife when the plaque was recorded in the Duchess of Marlborough's sitting room at Blenheim in 1862, but it was almost certainly one of a collection of over sixty enamels given to the 4th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough in 1793 by a Mr Samuel Spalding, before the revival of interest in enamelling techniques in the 1820s and 1830s.referenceterm-120009adlib-term-120009690a6332-cfc1-3411-a716-4dd4ec7d9a6516th Century, second quarter#referenceterm-15498adlib-term-1549861725bf5-360f-3837-8aab-3c90b956a537literalFranceFrancecountryliteralHaute VienneHaute VienneregionLimogesreferencemedia-136183adlib-media-136183b8b28d92-1c79-3425-9016-d6b51c073287jpegaa/aa20/M_112_1961_20_281_29.jpg1heightpixels760widthpixels62216162743128871imagejpegaa/aa20/mid_M_112_1961_20_281_29.jpg1heightpixels611widthpixels50016162743128871imagejpegaa/aa20/M_112_1961_20_281_29.jpg1heightpixels760widthpixels62216162743128871imagejpegaa/aa20/preview_M_112_1961_20_281_29.jpg1heightpixels305widthpixels25016162743128871image0media
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imagereferenceterm-107484adlib-term-107484935e21d3-0b7f-3ca6-9987-b79c82e054fdplaquehistory noteProbably Mr Spalding by whom presented to George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough in 1793; if not, before 1862, John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough(1822-1883); offered for sale Christie’s, 14 June 1883, Catalogue of the choice collection of Limoges enamels, from Blenheim Palace; comprising upwards of eighty specimens including works of Susanne de Court, Jean Courtois, J. Laudin, F. Limousin, L. Limousin, J. Penicaud, P. Reymond, and other celebrated artists; also a beautiful old Sèvres table, p. 12, lot 58; unsold at £310; uncertain; Louis C.G. Clarke, MA, LL.D., Cambridge.referenceagent-149638adlib-agent-1496387376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8The Fitzwilliam MuseumPubl. Part II, p. 118, the enamel is described among those in the Duchess's Sitting Room, in a glass case opposite to the fireplace118referencepublication-7009adlib-publication-7009e8db0a18-1d96-398c-9fe2-2e0762ce7a6cCatalogue Raisonné: or, a List of the Pictures in Blenheim Palace; with Occasional Remarks and Illustrative Notes, Part I and Part IIPubl. p. 61, lent by the Duke of Marlborough61referencepublication-6194adlib-publication-61947d8edc6b-459b-3eb8-84c9-8b43101b820cCatalogue of the Special Loan Exhibition of Enamels on Metal held at the South Kensington Museum London in 1874Publ. p. 12, lot 5812referencepublication-6193adlib-publication-6193313ce2bd-bd00-35c7-8ced-bebd18b6a6f6Catalogue of the choice collection of Limoges enamels, from Blenheim Palace; comprising upwards of eighty specimens including works of Susanne de Court, Jean Courtois, J. Laudin, F. Limousin, L. Limousin, J. Penicaud, P. Reymond, and other celebrated artists; also a beautiful old Sèvres tablePubl. p. 266, fig. 3, and text p. 265-6 and note 5 on p. 267 giving the provenance. The author cites comparable plaques.264-7referencepublication-200002192adlib-publication-2000021921325b63e-b35a-3f32-849c-0c40b5cf8867Limoges. Musée muncipal, Une Crucifixion de Léonard LimosinCf. pl. on p. 151, and p. 152146-52referencepublication-200002663adlib-publication-200002663363ea3aa-cd77-3d7f-ad2c-fcd955464372Zur Auktion der Sammlung M. V. Nemes, II Die Plastik und das Kunstgewerbereferencepublication-7010adlib-publication-70100e8edd8f-c41c-3e74-b846-680b65e5c057Sammlung Marczell von Nemes, 2 Textilien, Skulpturen, Kunstgewerbereferencepublication-5572adlib-publication-5572aaa9403c-e139-3848-9091-2bfcfdfd803fEnamels the XII to the XVI Century, a special exhibition at The Martin d’Arcy Gallery of ArtCf. p. 59, no. 81 a Crucifixion, initialled LL, and dated 1535 and 1536, dimensions 24.8 x 21.3 cm, Inv. no. 31.10659referencepublication-8955adlib-publication-8955dfc96c56-fd4a-31b1-8a5f-10973f773354The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. A Handbook of the Collectionreferenceterm-10618adlib-term-106189ebc0ae1-8cf8-312b-832c-9cf44da02136Renaissancereferenceterm-102735adlib-term-1027359ffebc71-0d53-3435-b13f-9ab850955082prayernamed eventreferenceterm-108603adlib-term-108603b2e061d9-c8c1-3f1a-81f1-473920658929The Crucifixionanimalreferenceterm-118890adlib-term-118890ea7c42bb-5706-36b1-b276-500b1ad2f9edhorseliteralThe CrucifixionThe Crucifixionliteralhorsehorsereferenceterm-107484adlib-term-107484935e21d3-0b7f-3ca6-9987-b79c82e054fdplaqueplaqueThe Crucifixionobject
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