Some richly decorated objects were intended for display rather than use. The painted enamel used on this spoon was technically difficult and therefore much prized. The quality and material of this spoon suggest that it must have been the property of a person of rank and not intended for daily use.The bowl shows an ape riding a stag through a forest, in a playful scene from a lost romance.This scene is closely related to similar scenes on an enamelled cup, 'The Monkey Cup', in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The colours and distinctive technique of the enamel make it very likely that they were made in the duchy of Burgundy in the 15th century.
Physical description
Spoon, silver, silver gilt. Enamelled on the bowl with a monkey riding through a forest, the back of the bowl with scrolling foliage, all painted in a palette of grey, black, white and highlighted in gold. The handle with an animal mask adjoining the bowl, the shaft decorated with bands of niello, and terminating in an oval knop.
Place of Origin
Netherlands (possibly, made)
France (possibly, made)
Date
ca.1430 (made)
Artist/maker
unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Silver, silver gilt; enamel; niello
Dimensions
Height: 24.6 cm, Width: 5.1 cm, Weight: 0.04 kg
Object history note
Charles the Bold Exhibition RF.2006/635
Historical context note
Spoons are among the earliest domestic objects. As opposed to dishes or knives which were shared, spoons were treasured individual possessions. The quality and material of this spoon suggest that it must have been the property of a person of rank and not intended for daily use.
By the mid 15th century the duchy of Burgundy was the major centre for the production of a specific variety of pictorial enamel in a style of grisaille, perhaps extending to Brabant and Flanders subsequently. The work was on small objects of silver or silver-gilt with a dark grounding over which white enamel was partly applied. Highlights were added in liquid gold.
Descriptive line
Spoon enamelled with a scene of a monkey riding through a forest,possibly Netherlands, mid-15th century.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Speel, Erika, The Dictionary of Enamelling. History and Techniques. Hants: Ashgate, 1988, p. 108.
Campbell, Marian. [Catalogue entry]. In: Charles Le Téméraire (1433-1477): Faste et Déclin de la cour de Bourgogne. Brussels: Fonds Mercator, 2008. p.290, no.114, ill. Catalogue of the exhibition held Musée Historique de Berne, 25 April - 24 August 2008 and at Bruggemuseum & Groeningemuseum Bruges, 27 March - 21 July 2009.
Williamson, Paul (ed.), The Medieval Treasury, London: V&A Publications, 1998, p. 236
Exhibition History
Charles the Bold (1433-1477): Splendour of Burgundy (Groeningemuseum 27/03/2009-21/07/2009)
Charles the Bold (1433-1477): Splendour of Burgundy (Bruggemuseum 01/01/2003-21/07/2009)
Charles the Bold (1433-1477): Splendour of Burgundy (Historisches Museum, Bern 25/04/2008-24/08/2008)
Production Note
Probably Franco-Flemish
Materials
Silver; Gold; Enamel; Niello
Techniques
Gilding; Enamelling
Collection code
MET
