Until September 20 at the Hermitage opened exhibition “blue and gold Limoges”, on Limoges enamels vyemchatym XII - XIV centuries

by 20 September 2009 in the Hermitage in the Blue Bedroom Winter Palace (Room number 307), the exhibition «blue and gold Limoges», devoted vyemchatym Limoges enamels. The bulk of the exhibits (there are at more than seventy) is the end of XII - the beginning of the XIII century, «Golden Age» Limoges workshops. Some of them are already known to viewers of the permanent exhibition in the Gallery and Gallery of Romanov treasures, others are stored in the Hermitage collections. The exhibition provides an opportunity to show them together and watched all the development stages of the production of Limoges.

Limoges - one of the smaller provincial cities, which have become world famous for the products of local production. How Delft became famous for its white and blue faience, Belgium Dinant became appellative name for products from cast bronze (dinanderie), so Limoges was famous in medieval Europe for its enamels on copper. Products Limoges artists differed from Iceland to Palestine.

In the XII - XIV centuries the entire Christian world to know Opus Lemovicense ( «Limoges work»), as then called Limoges enamels. But the city of Limoges was famous at that time not only enamels. In the XI - XII centuries, it is the largest center of religious life in France. After it was called Limoges one of four ways a pilgrimage to the tomb of St James at Santiago de Compostela, and in the Abbey of Saint Martsial are relics of the saint Martsiala - Baptist Aquitaine, who worshiped here as the thirteenth apostle. The city and its suburbs was about a thousand churches, and each kept their precious sacred sites. It is believed that there arose a demand for church utensils and played a crucial role in the development of emalernogo production. Since the second half before the beginning of XII and XIV century Limoges workshops are the main producers in Europe.

The items were made of simple materials. The foundation serves as copper plate, which cut the notches, - it gave the name of technology. Notches filled glassy mass with the addition of metal oxides, which, under the burning fuse firmly to the foundation. This enamel had been performed at the level of jewelry pieces. This replacement seemed quite equivalent, because in the Middle Ages gold and silver valued primarily for their ability to interact with light. In Limoges enamels copper completely covered with gold leaf and color enamel, enriching the surface of the game of colors, some even have an advantage over products made of precious materials. Cabochon of glass paste, or clear glass backed with foil play gems. High aesthetic quality and low cost make the product available to Limoges and attractive to any church.

The church plate is the main part of the exhibits. This liturgical vessels - piksidy or siboriumy, which kept guests (wafer for Communion,), book bindings, protsessionnye crosses, candlesticks, crosier. One of the most interesting types of Limoges products - lartsy-reliquary for the relics of saints.

Earlier monuments (the second half of XII century) is engraved on the golden background. Since the end of XII century, the production is gradually accelerating, has not yet acquired the scope of mass. The first step was the shift from gold to dark blue background, swap the two color categories. First backgrounds covered with a thin engraved ornament and gold. Since the end of XII century in the left reserve figures, and backgrounds, in contrast, completely covered with enamel and decorated with various ornaments - sockets, disks, stars, psevdokuficheskimi graffiti, plant shoots. Since then, Limoges products become «classic» type, familiar to modern audiences. This technological innovation has greatly simplify and expedite the work. But in the middle of XIII century, there are rare on the quality of products - such as the figure of the Madonna and Child. They belong to the new, the Gothic era. Apart from the monuments of XII - XIV centuries in the exhibition, and several items of XIX century - style and forgery, including a revival of interest in this technology in the age of historicism.

If you previously made in Limoges in the church utensils, the wizard is now focused on the tastes and a new customer - the secular aristocracy. New types of objects: zhemelony - twin bowls for washing hands, folding camping candlesticks, as well as new themes: kurtuaznye scenes and heraldry.

Source: hermitagemuseum.org