Pair of gilded and chased copper plaques also decorated

Pair of gilded and chased copper plaques also decorated with champlevé enamel. Limoges. France. Romanesque. 13th century.
These plaques were probably affixed to a reliquary chest or a gospel book. They are richly and magnificently decorated with dark blue, turquoise, lapis lazuli blue, green, white, red and yellow toned enamels. In the upper part are two medallions which depict an angel resting on a cloud; they are surrounded by foliage decoration. The quality of the chasing is outstanding, as is the great chromatic variety in the enamel. Slight flaws in the enamel.
The Cherves tabernacle, which is kept at the New York Metropolitan Museum, and donated by J. Pierpont Morgan in 1917 (Nº. 32.100.281) has a large rhombus on its interior side panels with figurative scenes engraved on it, framed at the corners by triangular enamel plaques with an angel inside a circle and foliage decoration, very similar to those in the plaques presented here. See: "Enamels of Limoges, 1100-1350", Catalogue from the exhibition at the MET, 1996, page 300.
Provenance: formerly from Emile Theodore´s collection (1876 - 1937), he was the art historian and conservationist of the Museum of Lille.
12 x 7 cm. each.