Copper plaque painted in polychrome enamels and gilt with a bust portrait of Jacques de Genouillac, known as Galiot (1465-1546) as an elderly man with white beard and moustache. Dark blue ground and gilt double border. His head in black cap turned slightly to his right. Transparent counter-enamel. Painted by Leonard Limosin, Limoges, France, about 1540-46.

Copper plaque painted in polychrome enamels and gilt with a bust portrait of Jacques de Genouillac (known as Galiot) as an elderly man. Against a dark blue ground and within a finely-drawn gilt double border, his head is shown turned very slightly to his right. He has blue eyes and a full white beard and moustache, and he wears a black cap and black gown. The counter-enamel is transparent.

Jacques de Genouillac, Seigneur d'Assier, was born in 1465 to Jean II Ricard de Gourdon de Genouillac and Catherine Del Bosc from the old aristocratic family of Assier. For over 65 years, he gave faithful service to the Kings of France from Louis XI to Francis I. The following are among his roles and achievements:

1480 Page to Louis XI and Charles VIII
1491 Joined Company of Gentlemen of the King's Guard and became squire to the King
1492 Grand Écuyer (Grand Squire or Equerry) to the Dauphin
1495 Took part in the Battle of Fornoue
1498 Became Captain of Free Archers of Quercy, Agenois and Gascony. Captain of company of 25 lances
1501 Fought Turks in Aegean
1509 Took part in Battle of Agnadel
1512 Became Captain-General (Grand Maitre) of Artillery)
1515 Victory at Battle of Marignan
1520 Organised the meeting of Henry VIII of England an Francis I of France at the Field of the Cloth of Gold
1521 Distinguished himself at Siege of Mézières
1525 Directed the artillery at the Battle of Pavia which was however a disaster for France and he was captured with Francis I. On his release, he negotiated the King's release
1526 The King rewarded him with the role of Grand Ecuyer (Grand Squire or Equerry) of France and the Order of St. Michel. He was thus the third most important officer of the realm after the King and the Constable.
1530 Organised the return of the sons of Francis I from captivity in Spain and the reception of Eleanor, Charles V's sister, who married Francis I under the terms of his release agreement
Galiot was also Sénéchal of Armagnac and of Quercy, Superintendant of Finances and in 1545, Governor of Languedoc. A patron of the arts, he reconstructed Quercy château, which he furnished magnificently, and Assier church.

This plaque was purchased (for £100 in 1863) with many other objects including twenty-three other Limoges enamels from the spectacular collection of mainly Italian Renaissance works of art formed by Jules Soulages, a Toulouse lawyer. After exhibition at the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition of 1857, the Soulages Collection was purchased in several tranches by the South Kensington Museum (now V&A) between 1859 and 1865. The plaque was later displayed again at the Special Loan Exhibition of Enamels on Metal, held in the Museum in 1874.

Historical significance: Both at the time of making, and in collections now, the enamelled works of Leonard Limosin have been highly valued and much admired for their originality, diversity, artistic merit and technical skill. Born in about 1505, Leonard's surname is descriptive of his Limoges origin. He is thought to have trained in the Penicaud family's enamelling workshop. He developed a large workshop of his own in which other members of his family joined and later followed him. Leonard was also a painter and engraver. His oil painting on wood of the Incredulity of St. Thomas (the central panel of a triptych painted in 1551 for the Abbey of St. Martin, Limoges which had a finger reliquary of St. Thomas) is today displayed in the Musee Municipal de l'Eveche, Limoges. His first signed and dated enamel is from 1533. He worked in polychrome enamels and in grisaille, and made decorative wares as well as plaques. His subject matter was wide including mythological themes, the months, saints, Biblical subjects, and portraits (his particular speciality). Unusual enamel works by Limosin include a chess and backgammon board (1537), a fountain for Diane de Poitiers (1552), and a view of the siege of Calais (about 1558-60).
In about 1534, Leonard was invited to the court of Francois I and from then on divided his time between the court at Fontainebleau and his workshop in Limoges. His style and ideas were influenced by his association with Italian Mannerist artists at court. He is thought to have been introduced to court by Jean de Langeac, an art lover, royal councillor and Bishop of Limoges (1532-41). He commissioned Leonard to make enamels for him bearing his arms. But another connection may have been Marguerite d'Angouleme, the king's sister and viscountess of Limoges by her marriage to Henri d'Albret, King of Navarre. The 1535 inventory of their chateau of Pau lists sixteen enamels.
Leonard Limosin was appointed "peintre emailleur et valet de chambre du roi" by Henri II (reigned 1547-59) in 1548 and served Francois II and Charles IX in a similar capacity. An inventory of Fontainebleau's furniture lists works by Limosin from 1560. Major royal commissions included a series of twelve apostles made in 1547 for Henri II's chateau at St. Germain-en-Laye, and two altarpieces of 1552-53 for the Sainte-Chapelle. He produced numerous enamel portrait plaques of rulers and courtiers, some after drawings by Francois Clouet.
The identity of the man portrayed on this enamel was established by comparison with numerous drawings which exist of Jacques de Genouillac. He is shown on the enamel as an elderly man with slightly lined face and white beard, which suggests that Limosin probably painted the plaque in the last few years of Galiot's life. Limosin also painted his portrait on other enamels, notably inv.MR XIII suppl.210 in the Musée du Louvre and inv.87-446 in the Musée municipal de l'évêché, Limoges. The Louvre enamel is a full-length figure of St. Paul from the series of Apostles painted in 1547 for Henri II - the saint is depicted with the facial likeness of Galiot. The enamel in the Limoges museum is a small rectangular portrait plaque by Limosin very similar to the V&A one and signed 'LL' in the lower right corner.

Limoges, central France, was famous for the production of champleve enamels from the late 12th century until the town was destroyed by the Black Prince in 1370. The enamel industry began to revive about a century later but the technique of painted enamels produced from 1460s/70s was quite different from the earlier medieval work. The copper, probably from Spanish mines, was hammered to thin sheets. A plaque such as this would have been hammered to a slightly convex shape and coated with enamel (a mix of powdered glass known as flux and metallic oxides) front and back. The back coat, known as the counter-enamel, was necessary to retard oxidisation of the copper and to even out the expansion and contraction rate of the piece which helped prevent the precious painting on the front from cracking in the furnace. The design was outlined on the dark ground colour, then the image built up with a brush and spatula by adding different enamel colours in sequence according to their melting point. The piece might thus be fired eight or nine times, working from the highest temperature colour to gilding at the end. There was immense skill, perfected through careful experimentation, in producing the correct colour and shade required and a smooth correct consistency of enamel powder. The result, after much time and labour, had to be as free of bubbles, defects, specks of dirt and cracks as possible. A well-executed portrait plaque would have been a luxury item and probably made to commission. Enamelled portraits were often displayed in private royal or aristocratic rooms known as cabinets, sometimes framed and free-standing, sometimes set into panelling.

This plaque of Limoges painted enamel on copper bears a portrait of Jacques de Genouillac, known as Galiot, Seigneur d'Assier (1465-1546) as an old man. His identity was established by comparison with numerous drawings which still exist of this man who for over 65 years served the Kings of France from Louis XI to Francis I. As Captain-General of Artillery, he distinguished himself in battle and organised the famous meeting of Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. After negotiating the release of Francis I from captivity in Spain in 1526, the King rewarded him with the title of Grand Ecuyer (Grand Squire or Equerry) of France and conferred on him the Order of St. Michael. He thus became the third most important officer of the realm after the King and the Constable.

The plaque was painted by Leonard Limosin (ca.1505-1575/7) whose work was, and still is highly valued for its originality, diverse subject matter, artistic merit and technical skill. He ran a large enamelling workshop and was also a painter and engraver. In about 1534, Francis I invited Limosin to his court where the enameller met Italian Mannerist artists whose work influenced his style and ideas. He was appointed "peintre emailleur et valet de chambre du roi" by Henri II in 1548 and served Francois II and Charles IX in a similar capacity. A well-executed portrait plaque by Limosin would have been a luxury item, probably made to commission and usually displayed in private royal or aristocratic rooms known as cabinets.

This plaque was purchased (for £100 in 1863) with many other objects including twenty-three other Limoges enamels from the spectacular collection of mainly Italian Renaissance works of art formed by Jules Soulages, a Toulouse lawyer. After exhibition at the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition of 1857, the Soulages Collection was purchased in several tranches by the South Kensington Museum (now V&A) between 1859 and 1865. The plaque was later displayed again at the Special Loan Exhibition of Enamels on Metal, held in the Museum in 1874.

8415-1863