Pewter dish with scenes cast in relief from the parable of the Prodigal Son and a central medallion in Limoges enamel attributed to Couly Nouailher (active 1539-74), possibly modelled by François Briot (ca.1550- ca.1616), France 1580-90.

This large, shallow, circular dish is made from cast, relief pewter known as edelzinn or precious pewter. It is arranged in concentric bands. The relief work is of very high quality, against a ground that is entirely matted. The outer rim is decorated with scenes from the parable of the Prodigal Son. A curious feature of the design is that the heads of the figures from the story of the Prodigal Son were all moulded separately from the rest of the figures and were applied after casting: they are slightly too large for their bodies.

The inner bands of decoration consist of half-figures of women with stags and fruit, symbols of plenty, and masks framed in tightly curled strapwork. The central boss is circular Limoges enamel plaque from around 1540 depicting a warrior cherub.

There is a repair to the pewter in the upper right hand section of the middle band, clearly visible from the reverse, and of considerably poorer quality than the original on the front.

This dish dates from around 1580-90 and was possibly cast using a mould made by Francois Briot, the celebrated medallist and die-cutter. It one of the highlights of the V&A's pewter collection, a fine example of Edelzinn, literally 'precious pewter', which was produced in France and Germany during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Made for display, Edelzinn incorporates intricate relief panels partly designed to emulate embossed silver. An important difference between silver and pewter, however, is that pewter is cast and therefore depends on the production of expensive moulds, which in turn means that it was generally produced in multiples rather than as unique pieces. As edelzinn was designed for display it tends to survive in excellent condition.

Although the dish is not signed it relates to the work of Francois Briot, the most celebrated member of a French family of medallists and die-cutters. Briot was court engraver to John Frederick of Würtemberg from 1586. He has subsequently been described as "the Raphael or Cellini of pewterers". He was in fact a model carver, medallist and pattern-maker rather than a pewterer, creating copper moulds in which pewter was cast. It is for these dishes (see also Mus. No. 2063-1855) and for similar ewers (see Mus. No. 4289-1857), that Briot is best known.

The surface of this dish is decorated with cast designs in relief. The outer rim depicts the story of the Prodigal son, one of the most frequently represented parables in the history of art, and one used to preach the virtues of repentance and forgiveness. In the parable, a man divides his wealth between his two sons, one of whom departs and wastes his fortune on riotous living and is reduced to tending a farmer's pigs. On returning home full of remorse his father forgives him, dresses him in fine clothes and kills a calf to make a feast, pacifying the other brother with the words: "Your brother here was dead and has come back to life, was lost and is found."

The scenes on the dish, each separated by human and lion masks, show:
Upper right: The son departing, well-dressed and on a fine horse, with his brother accompanying him on foot;
Centre right: The son feasting with women at a table, being attended to by servants and with musicians playing in the background;
Lower right: The son feasting less lavishly and then being chased away by the women when his money has run out;
Lower left: The son milking a cow with a barn in the background and pigs feeding on the foreground, and then kneeling in prayer and asking for forgiveness;
Middle and upper left: The son returns to his father, kneels before him and is embraced and then is fed at a table in a plain Romanesque loggia.

The central plaque is of Limoges enamel and has been attributed on stylistic grounds to Couly II Nouailher (also known as Colin, also known as Noylier) whose first signed and dated work is from 1539. Nouailher made a number of plaques for caskets, many featuring children painted in grisaille on a deep blue background. His last signed work is from 1545 but he is still described in archives as an enameller as late as 1574. He was part of a dynasty of enamellers in Limoges first mentioned in 1503 and still going in the 19th century. Limoges in central France is a town with a long tradition of enamelling. During the sixteenth century, there were a number of families well-known as highly-accomplished practitioners of this art. Limoges painted enamels were luxury items for the wealthy middle and upper classes.

This dish be seen as one of those instructional objects bought at the very beginnings of the museum's existence as art shool under the supervision of the Government's Department of Science and Art. Under the museum's first Director, Henry Cole and first Curator, John Charles Robinson, both historic and contemporary works of art were collected as models for artists, designers and students to learn to draw and copy from as inspiration for their own products. The aim, which Cole described as 'economic' (commercial) was to get good design into Britain's factories to improve the country's manufacturing products. Good models might also inspire the visiting public to become more discerning in the choices they made when decirating their homes. In this sense the V&A (then known as the South Knesington Museum) saw itself as ther arbiter of national taste. Some of the earliest purchases by the Museum included outstanding examples of European pewter.

This basin was one of the Museum's early purchases, bought in 1855 from the sale collection of Ralph Bernal. The Bernal Collection was an enormous collection of metalwork, glass, ceramics and miniatures belonging to Ralph Bernal, a lawyer, MP and former absentee slave owner whose plantations appear to have funded much of his collecting. The sale by Christie, Manson and Woods took 32 days during which 4294 lots fetched nearly £71,000. The Museum bought 730 lots including this dish for which it paid £19.19s. Its provenance until the 19th century is not known.

The dish was probably designed to decorate the buffet of a prince or of a civic body such as a town guild. Contemporary illustrations show that buffets could be enormous, multi-tiered structures supporting rich displays of gold, silver, mounted exotic shells and colourful stones, and other items from princely treasuries. By the late 16th century, most fashionable patrons favoured fantastical Mannerist pieces for their displays. Mannerism was a courtly style based around the idea of difficultà: complex design, virtuoso craftsmanship and decoration infused with intellectual references.

Elaborate French and German buffet dishes of the 1580s, including this example, show pewter mould-making and casting at its most skilled. Pewter is an alloy or mixture of metals consisting primarily of tin. Adding metals such as copper and antimony makes pewter harder and more durable. The best alloys contain over 90% tin. Before 1800 lead was allowed in 'lay metal', a lower-quality alloy used for measures and boxes. Soft lead made casting easier, but was poisonous, so it was forbidden in 'flatware' such as plates, dishes and porringers. Tests do reveal small amounts of up to 2%. Modern pewter contains no lead. Pewter's low melting point makes it suitable for casting, though early casting moulds were expensive.

The modelling of this dish can be attributed tentatively to François Briot (ca.1550- ca.1616) or someone closely influenced by his work. Born in Damblain in Lorraine, he was famous in his lifetime as a maker of Edelzinn, or high relief display pewter, although only one of his works, the Temperantia dish (see 2063-1855), is known to be signed.

This dish is one of the highlights of the V&A's pewter collection. It is a fine example of Edelzinn, literally 'precious pewter', which was produced in France and Germany during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries primarily for display. This dish dates from around 1580 and was possibly cast using a mould made by Francois Briot, a celebrated medallist and die-cutter.

The dish was probably designed to decorate the buffet of a prince or of a civic body such as a town guild. Contemporary illustrations show that buffets could be enormous, multi-tiered structures supporting rich displays of gold, silver, mounted exotic shells and colourful stones, and other items from their treasuries.

By the late 16th century, most fashionable patrons favoured fantastical Mannerist pieces for their displays. Mannerism was a courtly style based around the idea of difficultà: complex design, virtuoso craftsmanship and decoration infused with intellectual references. The outer rim of this dish depicts the story of the Prodigal son, one of the most frequently represented parables in the history of art, and one used to preach the virtues of repentance and forgiveness. In the parable, a man divides his wealth between his two sons, one of whom departs and wastes his fortune on riotous living and is reduced to tending a farmer's pigs. On returning home full of remorse his father forgives him, dresses him in fine clothes and kills a calf to make a feast, pacifying the other brother with the words: "Your brother here was dead and has come back to life, was lost and is found."

The central plaque is of Limoges enamel and has been attributed on stylistic grounds to Couly II Nouailher (also known as Colin, also known as Noylier) whose first signed and dated work is from 1539. Limoges in central France is a town with a long tradition of enamelling. During the sixteenth century, there were a number of families well-known as highly-accomplished practitioners of this art. Limoges painted enamels were luxury items for the wealthy middle and upper classes.

2064-1855