Rare belt buckle plate in champlevé enamel, enamel... Lot 15

Rare belt buckle plate in champlevé enamel, enamel and gilt, blue, light blue and white enamels. Rectangular in shape, it features two figures with applique heads, one in a dancing pose holding a ball against him, the other raising his left hand; left hinge bordered by a wavy line. Limoges, 1200/1210 H. 2.7 - L. 3.2 cm (worn gilding) Book consulted : - E. Antoine et D. Gaborit-Chopin sous la dir. de, L'apogée 1190-1215, Corpus des Émaux méridionaux, t. II, p 253-256. There are around thirty plates with champlevé enamel buckles from Limoges, dating from the last years of the 12th century or the first decades of the following century. A very similar buckle plate, also decorated with two figures on a blue enamel background, dates from a slightly earlier period, around 1200, and is in the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille (inv. A 53, fig.). The secular decoration on these belt elements illustrates various themes: plants, animals or combat. Here, the two figures are visibly engaged in a ball game, similar to the juggling scenes seen on some box medallions. The workmanship on this plate, which resembles that of a miniaturist, is particularly refined, with its applique heads, the finesse of the engraving and the elegance of the attitudes that belong to the apogee of Limousin production.