Casket mounted in silver-gilt with copper plaques painted in opaque polychrome enamels and translucent enamels on foil backing. Main plaques on the body of the casket by Jean Limosin, Limoges, France, about 1620

Casket painted with a variety of scenes in polychrome enamels on copper. The translucent enamels are backed with foil. The silver-gilt mounts are probably original. The casket stands on eight bevelled feet painted in enamels with cherub heads below an egg-and-dart border. The hinged pyramidal lid is decorated with images of the Triumph of Bacchus, the Triumph of Ceres and a stag hunt. These designs are based on print sources by Etienne Delaune (hunting scenes) and Androuet du Cerceau (Triumph of Bacchus). The end panels of the lid depict personifications of Europe and Africa, also after Delaune. This suggests that the casket may once have had a pair decorated with personifications of Asia and America.

The front of the casket is decorated with seven dancers (four female, three male) wearing ballet costumes and holding hands. They are performing a farandole, which was a chain dance in 6/8 time originating in Provence. In some southern French villages, a newly-wed couple might sometimes lead such a dance. Nine butterflies flutter above the dancers' heads. The dance continues on the two end panels of the casket but there the women wear ruffs and costumes fashionable in France in about 1620.

Formerly in the Debruge-Duménil Collection (lot 774 in the sale), then in the Soltykoff Collection (lot 352 in the sale, Paris, 1861). Bought from the collection of T.M. Whitehead.

The large size of this casket and the apparent homogeneity of the ensemble make this an extremely important, not to say unique, object. Enamelled caskets of such a size had hardly been produced since the champlevé enamel chasses of the late 12th century. However, the association with Anne of Austria is questionable as there is nothing to suggest this royal provenance and the 'AA' monogram might as easily refer to another person.

The crossed 'S' is an emblem of fidelity meaning 'fermesse'. It is almost certain that the casket was given as a wedding present in view of its iconography and the abundance of crossed 'S's. This type of monogram and the 'fermesse' emblems are often found on other objects which are not necessarily linked to royal personages (such as the Ninus plaque in the Frick Collection, various book-bindings decorated with this motif, and a set of knives at the Musée National de la Renaissance at the Château of Ecouen).

While the main plaques on the casket body are almost certainly by Jean I Limosin (ca.1580-1646), the draftsmanship of the plaques on the lid is somewhat weaker suggesting those plaques may be by someone Jean I's workshop or possibly by his brother Joseph (ca.1595-ca.1636). Jean I Limosin was a grandson of the celebrated 16th century enameller, Léonard Limosin. Like his grandfather, Jean was an enameller to the royal court so is thought to have distinguished his work by using a fleur-de-lys between his initials.

This piece can be compared with the following:
An ewer inv. F-316 signed 'IL' from the Basilevsky collection and now in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg which bears a very similar farandole scene again with men and women dancing under draperies.
Other comparisons can be made with:
The Ninus plaque inv.16-4-42 in the Frick Collection, New York
An ewer inv. MTC 1170 in the Musée d'Angers
An ewer in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon
An ewer inv. Ec 254 in the Musée National de la Renaissance, Château of Ecouen

It is highly likely that this splendid casket was commissioned as a very special wedding gift and was originally one of a matching pair. This is inferred in part from the dance shown on the front and ends. Newly-wed couples would sometimes lead the farandole, a chain dance popular in southern France. On the back, the gilded letter ‘s’ crossed through with a diagonal line is repeated many times. This ‘closed s’ (fermesse in French) symbolises fidelity, often in relation to marriage. The presence on the lid ends of only two personifications of Continents - Europe and Africa - out of a possible four then known implies that a second casket with Asia and America would also have been presented.

The casket is an outstanding work of Jean Limosin (1580-1646) and his workshop in Limoges, central France. The copper plaques set in silver-gilt mounts are painted with great skill in a colourful variety of opaque and translucent enamels. The latter shimmer as they are backed with slivers of gold and silver leaf. Like his grandfather, the celebrated sixteenth-century enameller, Léonard Limosin, Jean was an enameller to the royal court.

Despite the ‘AA’ monogram repeated several times on the back of the casket among the fermesses, no provenance to Anne of Austria, Queen of France, can be demonstrated and the monogram may equally refer to someone else. Nevertheless, this piece is exceptionally large for a Limoges painted enamel casket, especially one of the 1620s, and if not presented by or owned by royalty, must surely have been among the luxury goods of a noble or wealthy household. A treasure in themselves, this pair of caskets would also have kept small treasures safe - whether jewellery, personal equipment such as mirrors, curiosities both natural and made, keepsakes or correspondence.

13:1, 2-1864