This small plaque with curved top has been mounted in a nineteenth century gilt brass frame as a pax. This may have been the original use but this is uncertain. A pax (from the Latin word for peace) was passed around and kissed by the congregation during the Mass. It symbolised the kiss of peace shared by early Christians. Paxes were made from a variety of materials and often had handles affixed to the back so that they could be held securely. The polychrome enamel shows an Annunciation scene in an architectural setting such as a chapel or oratory. The Archangel Gabriel on the right kneels before and points to the Virgin Mary, as he explains that she will conceive a child who will be the son of God. Mary kneels at a prie-dieu on which is placed an open devotional book, near a vase of lilies which symbolise her purity.
The earliest painted enamels of the sixteenth century, such as this one, bear much similarity to images in contemporary illuminated manuscripts. The subject matter is similar and they employ the same stylistic techniques as illuminations, such as the use of gold highlights, especially for the clothes and drops of enamel to suggest jewels. It is thought that some artists were able to work in both art forms. Although this piece is anonymous, it is quite similar to the productions of the workshop of the Master of the Baltimore and Orleans Triptychs who may have been the illuminator of the Book of Hours for the Use of Limoges (in the Art Institute, Chicago).
The enamel was was part of the large bequest of 1910 which George Salting left to the V&A. Born in Australia in 1836 where his father was a wealthy sugar producer, he was a prolific but very careful collector, driving a hard bargain over prices. He lent objects to the South Kensington Museum, as the V&A was then called, from 1874, when his collection had outgrown his residence in St James’ Street. Salting died in 1909 and the majority of his collection came to the Museum in 1910 to be displayed in its own galleries in the Museum.