Beschreibung:

Pierre Reymond1503 - 1584
A set of twelve Limoges grisaille painted enamel plates depicting the Labours of the months, Circa 1559
each monogrammed P. R., dated 1559 and inscribed on the rimgrisaille and partially gilt painted enamel on copper, with red highlightsdiameter 7 in.; 17,6 cm
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Pierre Reymond1503 - 1584
Série de douze assiettes en émail peint en grisaille représentant les Travaux des Mois, Limoges, vers 1559
chaque assiette monogrammée P.R., datée 1559 et intitulée sur le marliémail peint en grisaille sur cuivre à rehauts d'or et rougesdiamètre 7 in.; 17,6 cm
(12)Condition reportFor further information on the condition of this lot please contact ulrike.goetz@sothebys.com ProvenanceLionel Walter Rothschild (1868-1937), 2nd Baron RothschildDr. James Hasson, Shenfield Mill, Great Britain Sotheby's London, 8 December 1959, lot 76Sotheby's Monaco, 19 June 1992, lot 807 Antony Embden Gallery, Paris, July 2007____________________________________________
Collection Lionel Walter Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild (1868-1937)Dr. James Hasson, Shenfield Mill, Grande BretagneSotheby's London, 8 December 1959, lot 76Sotheby's Monaco, 19 juin 1992, lot 807Galerie Antony Embden, Paris, juillet 2007LiteratureDr. J Hasson, The Banquet of Immortals, Edinburgh, 1948, pp. 115-121
P. Verdier, Catalogue of the Painted Enamels of the Renaissance, Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, 1967, p. 252
V. Notin, La Rencontre des Héros. Regards croisés sur les émaux peints de la Renaissance, Limoges, Musée municipal de l'Evêché, 2002, pp. 157-170
Related Literature
S. Caroselli, The Painted Enamels of Limoges. A Catalogue of the Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum, 1993, pp. 108-115, cat. nos 13-16
ExhibitedSpecial Exhibition of Works of Art at the South Kensington Museum, London, June 1862, nos 1762-1773Catalogue noteThis rare complete series of twelve enamel plates of the Labours of the Months, painted by Pierre Reymond in 1559, is a valuable demonstration of the virtuosity of Limoges enamellists during the Renaissance.
Once in the celebrated collection of Baron Lionel de Rothschild (1808–1879), this fine set of twelve plates was exhibited in 1862 at the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum) in London. Bearing the monogram P.R. and dated, this service belonged to the first series of the Labours of the Months, made in 1559 by Pierre Reymond (1513-1585), who was highly regarded for the quality of his enamelling. The first known plate in the series, illustrating the Month of June, dates to 1548 (former Spitzer collection, Paris sale, 17 April–16 June 1893, lot 510; then Paris sale, Drouot, 24 June 1986, lot 62).
Each plate in the present series is decorated with an activity that typifies the season: In January and February, a family eats a meal, warmed by a blazing fire. March is illustrated by a hunting scene with bow and arrow. A scene of courtly love with an entwined couple sitting on a bench, rudely interrupted by a man dressed as a jester, sets the scene for April; another loving couple ride out on horseback in the month of May. In June, a couple of shepherds sheer their sheep, while peasants scythe a meadow in July and harvest the crops in August. September is taken up with the grape harvest, crops are sown in October, bread is baked in November and in December the pig is killed for winter food.
On the flat rim, each scene is framed by four pairs of addorsed dragons, separated by oval medallions containing the signs of the zodiac (above), the name of the month (below), the initials P.R. (on the right) and the date 1559 (on the left). The only plate signed P. Rexmond (sic) is the Month of October. The back of each plate is decorated with a central medallion containing an all’antica profile, except for the Month of November which has a stag. It has not proved possible to identify the iconographic source for this first series of the Labours of the Months, nor for the second (made between 1565 and 1571). The compositions in the third series, slightly more elaborated, were based on engravings by Etienne Delaune (1518-1583), which were in circulation from 1568. Other enamellists, such as the Master IC, named Jean de Court (1530-1580) and Pierre Courteys (active from 1544 to 1568) also produced series depicting the months after Etienne Delaune’s models.
Apart from the present – extremely rare – complete service, there is another almost identical series of twelve, which was in the former collection of the Countess Cawdor, then in the Preaux collection (Paris, 9–11 January 1850, lot 242) and the R. C. Pritchard collection. This series was however painted by the Master IC, otherwise known as Jean de Court and is now in a private collection (Sotheby’s London, 12 December 1996, lot 97).
Single plates painted by Pierre Reymond with the same iconography can be found in the Musée de l’Evêché in Limoges, depicting the months of January, dated 1561 (inv. no. 998.1.1) and December (inv. no. 54.20). There are four plates in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, illustrating the months of June, July, August and September (inv. nos. L. 439–L. 442), while the Petit Palais has the month of March, made in about 1565 (inv. no. PPO 02418). Additionally, the Los Angeles County Museum holds four plates identical to the present examples (inv. nos. 48.2.5.-48.2.8.), made by Pierre Reymond in 1561. These represent the months of June, July, August and November and were once in the former collection of William Randolph Hearst.