Almost every major European collection is not complete without examples of antique Limoges Enamel. This tazza is painted in pinks, blues, greens and yellow highlights on a body of brown accentuated with gilding. Elaborately decorated with Atalanta and her maidens, the interior depicting the Triumph of Diana. The base of this centerpiece with masks, arabesques and birds. Limoges is still manufactured today, but nowhere utilizing the quality of the past artisans. Today many examples are created using decals or templates so they can churn out commercial decorations. In order to create an artwork like this, each enamel color needs to be fired in the kiln at a different temperature. Unless the creator has expertise in this craft, the enamel will crack and become worthless. Objects like this rarely come available, this one was sold by Christie’s Los Angeles February 3 & 4, 1988 from The Estelle Doheny Collection. The Doheny’s were the first successful pioneers that built an oil well in 1892 Los Angeles and started the oil boom in Southern California. 19th century. Approximately 11” high.
