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Plate

WB.49     about 1600 • Painted and enamelled on copper • plate

From the same set of dining wares showing Esau selling his birthright (9a) and the burial of Abraham (9b) from the biblical Book of Genesis. These scenes are after designs by Étienne Delaune and are signed by the female enameller, Susanne Court. Her work is well-represented in the Waddesdon Bequest.

Curator's Description

Painted Limoges enamel plate; copper; obverse: foreground, Esau selling his birth-right to Jacob; background, Esau chasing a deer with a bow and arrow; Jacob offering venison to Abraham with Rebecca behind him; inscribed; signed; painted in semi-opaque enamels on a white preparation, translucent enamels over coloured foils and white-grey grisaille with pink tinges for flesh tones; gilding; all on a black ground.

This object was collected and bequeathed to the British Museum by Ferdinand Anselm Rothschild.

Made In

Limoges
Limoges

Maker

Susanne de Court
Signed: 'S. C.' for Susanne Court

What is it?

plate

Made Of

copper enamel gold

Techniques

enamelled painted gilded

Subjects

old testament Esau Jacob Abraham Rebekah

How big is it?

19.4 cm wide, 19.4 cm high, 1.8 cm deep, and it weighs 227g

Where is it?

London / The British Museum / Room 2A / Case 5a 9

Floor plan 2 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 6c 6d 6e 6f 6g 6h 7a 7b 7c 7d 7e 7f 7g 7h 7i 7j Entrance

Detailed Curatorial Notes

Provenance: None is recorded.

Commentary: This plate is part of a set with WB.50 as illustrations of scenes from the Book of Genesis. Another plate signed and inscribed in the same way, and presumably from the same set, is in the Louvre and illustrates the meeting of Isaac and Rebecca (inv. no. OA 4025). This plate and the plate in the Louvre have flat bases, which is unusual for plates by Suzanne de Court. The back is similar to a plate by Pierre Reymond, also in the Louvre (inv. no. MR 2428). The design is after engravings by Bernard Salomon, Genesis 25 & 27.

Bibliography

  • Charles Hercules Read, 'The Waddesdon Bequest: Catalogue of the Works of Art bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild, M.P., 1898', London, 1902, no. 49
  • O.M. Dalton, 'The Waddesdon Bequest', 2nd edn (rev), British Museum, London, 1927, no.49
  • Sophie Baratte, ''Les Émaux Peints de Limoges', Musée du Louvre, Paris, 2000, p.374.

    • References

    1. Read 1902: Read, Charles Hercules, The Waddesdon Bequest. Catalogue of the Works of Art Bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild, M.P., 1898, London, BMP, 1902
    2. Dalton 1927: Dalton, Ormonde Maddock, The Waddesdon Bequest : jewels, plate, and other works of art bequeathed by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild., London, BMP, 1927
    3. Scrase handlist: Scrase handlist

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