The painted enamels of Limoges were prized in sixteenth-century court circles for their jewel-like finish, sophisticated decorative vocabulary, painterly technique, and recognizable subject matter. These same characteristics led to a resurgence in demand from the mid-nineteenth century, when pieces in the Renaissance style were fashioned for a new, growing market. Here, the artist used the historic technique of painting en grisaille (in white tones on a dark ground), although the form of these vases was unknown in the sixteenth century.

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