Lot 725: A RECTANGULAR PARCEL-GILT AND -SILVERED ENAMEL PLAQUE OF MARGUERITE OF FRANCE, DUCHESS OF SAVOIE

A RECTANGULAR PARCEL-GILT AND -SILVERED ENAMEL PLAQUE OF MARGUERITE OF FRANCE, DUCHESS OF SAVOIE
WORKSHOP OF LEONARD LIMOSIN (CIRCA 1505-1575/7), LIMOGES, MID 16TH CENTURY
With later inscription and date to the bottom right corner 'I I 1574'; inscribed to the reverse in gilt lettering '.Marguerite de France. . D...esse de Savoie'; in a later rectangular velvet-covered frame; losses and restorations
7¼ x 5 3/8 in. (18.4 x 13.7 cm.)

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
Leonard Limousin was one of the most successful and original enamellers of the 16th century, and his small portraits of members of French royalty and the nobility were in great demand. The format of the present example - a three-quarter profile portrait on a blue ground in front of a table draped with a green cloth - was particularly popular, and can be seen on other enamels by Limousin in public collections such as his portrait of Henri II, Marguerite's brother, in the Louvre (see S. Baratte, Les Emaux peints de Limoges, Paris, 2000, no. OA 7548, p. 156).