The Crucifixion
Artist
Leonard Limousin
(French, ca. 1505 - ca.1575)
Date1535-1536
MediumCopper with enamel and gilding
DimensionsUnframed: 9 3/4 x 8 3/8 inches (24.77 x 21.27 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number31-106
Signedon banners: "L L"
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 111
Collections
DescriptionOn a rectangular curved plate; represents the Crucifixion of Christ painted in polychrome with translucent enamel, allowing the metal ground to show through. Over the crosses of the thieves, an angel and a devil in the form of a dragon carry off their souls. Below the cross in the foreground, John, Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and the casting soldiers; in the middle and distant background, riders, some carrying banners on which the initials L. L. are seen and the dates 1535 and 1536.Gallery LabelThe ancient and medieval technique of enameling, whereby a vitreous substance colored with minerals is fused to a metal surface, was revived around 1520 in the French city of Limoges. Some Limoges enamellers, including Léonard Limousin and Colin Nouailher, employed bright colors and metallic foils to create dramatic scenes filled with intricate details of daily life.
Alfred Pringsheim (1850-1941), Munich;
Marczell von Nemes (1866-1930), Munich, by 1930;
Purchased at his posthumous sale, Sammlung Marczell von Nemes, Frederik Müller and Co., Paul Cassirer, and Hugo Helbing, Munich, June 16-19, 1931, lot 493, through Harold Woodbury Parsons, by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1931.
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