Colin Nouailher, Limoges, 1540–1560 (circle)

PLAYGROUND FENCE PANEL

Polychrome and grisaille enamel on copper, with gold highlights.

Salmon-colored counter-enamel on the reverse.

Approximate dimensions of the plaque:

Width: 8 cm

Length: 18 cm

Presented in a later antique carved and gilded wooden frame.

Rectangular in shape, this plaque depicts a children’s joust rendered in the Renaissance style. Two putti riding goats face off using windmill-shaped lances and shields. On the left, a third child stands playing the drum, while a fourth, seated in the foreground, observes the scene.

The figures, rendered in grisaille with delicate washes of skin tones, stand out against a black background enlivened by serpentine ribbons, small white banners, and gold highlights. The golden hair, the blue- and purple-colored shields, and the blue-green ground provide subtle touches of color. A border of golden flowers frames the composition.

The charm of this scene lies in its mischievous playfulness: rams as mounts, a pinwheel between the lances, and a drum to accompany the encounter. All the solemnity of the knightly tournament gives way to the joy of play. A reminder of childhood that, nearly five centuries later, still brings a smile to our faces.

The reverse features a salmon-colored counter-enamel intended to stabilize the copper plate during successive firings. This feature, combined with the rendering of skin tones, the use of grisaille, and the gold highlights, is characteristic of the work of Limoges enamelers in the mid-16th century.

This plate was originally part of a small wooden casket decorated with panels of painted enamel. It was likely preserved separately after the casket was dismantled and later mounted in its current frame.

A direct comparison can be made with the casket known as “Children’s Games,” produced in Limoges between 1540 and 1560 and held at the Louvre under catalog number MR 2512. The panels of this box feature the same black background, the same child figures rendered in polychrome grisaille, as well as a comparable repertoire of goats, spears, shields, a drum, a flute, and war games.

These boxes were formerly attributed to the workshop of Colin Nouailher. In the absence of a mark or signature, and given the reservations raised by recent research, it is nevertheless appropriate to maintain a cautious attribution to an anonymous Limoges workshop of the mid-16th century.

Very good overall condition

Original frame

Related work

Louvre Museum, Paris, Department of Art Objects from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and Modern Times, Box Set: Children’s Games, Limoges, 1540–1560, enamel painted on copper and black wood, inv. MR 2512.

Comparative bibliography cited by the Louvre Museum

• Suzanne Higgott, *The Wallace Collection. Catalogue of Glass and Limoges Painted Enamels*, London, The Trustees of the Wallace Collection, 2011, p. 229.
• Sophie Baratte, Les Émaux peints de Limoges, Louvre Museum, Paris, Réunion des musées nationaux, 2000, pp. 83–84.
• Philippe Verdier, The Walters Art Gallery. Catalogue of the Painted Enamels of the Renaissance, Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery, 1967, p. 303.
• Jean-Joseph Marquet de Vasselot, Louvre Museum. A Summary Catalog of Goldsmith’s Work, Enamelwork, and Gems from the Middle Ages to the 17th Century, Paris, Gaston Braun, 1914, p. 106, no. MV 643.
• Louis Courajod, The Durand Collection and Its Medieval and Renaissance Series at the Louvre Museum, Caen, 1888, p. 47, no. 54.
• Alfred Darcel, Imperial Museum of the Louvre. Catalog of Enamels and Goldsmith’s Work, Paris, Ch. de Mourgues frères, 1867, pp. 263–264, nos. D. 507–511.
• Léon de Laborde, *Catalog of Enamels, Jewelry, and Miscellaneous Objects on Display in the Galleries of the Louvre Museum*, Paris, Ch. de Mourgues frères, 1857, p. 286, nos. Lab. 423–427.
• The Manny Davidson Collection: A Life in Treasures and Benevolence, Sotheby’s auction catalog, Paris, November 5, 2025, p. 86.