Limoges painted enamel

Limoges painted enamel, any of the enamelled products made in Limoges, France, and generally considered the finest painted enamelware produced in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Limoges enamels are largely the work of a few families, such as the Pénicaud, Limosin, and Reymond families. The earliest examples show religious scenes in the late Gothic style. About 1520, Italian Renaissance motifs appeared and became especially characteristic of the work of Léonard Limosin and Pierre Reymond. Painting in grisaille, or monochromatic painting intended to look like sculpture, was introduced at Limoges and became a speciality of Jean Pénicaud III. By the last quarter of the 16th century, the quality of Limoges enamels had degenerated, and the enamellers Jean and Suzanne de Court in particular turned from the soft harmonies of the earlier artists to the use of bright colours enhanced by an excess of metallic foil called paillons, for gaudy rich effects. The Laudin family dominated the production of the ware in the 17th century and were the last major enamellers at Limoges. See also Limosin, Léonard; Pénicaud family.