Small enamel and Gilt-Copper Mirror Case Depicting Mercury Limoges 17th century

Measurements: 12.7 × 8.3 × 1 cm.

Enamel plaque: approximately 9 cm high.

This finely wrought oval mirror case features a vivid polychrome enamel scene on a black ground, enclosed within a gilt-copper frame. The front is adorned with a depiction of Mercury, identifiable by his winged helmet and caduceus, standing beneath a classical arch flanked by stylised columns and vases of flowers. Above the entablature, a canopy is held aloft by two snails, while twin pouring ewers crown the upper corners, issuing stylised streams. The architectural and ornamental elements are heightened with translucent and opaque enamel, highlighted with gilding and intricate punchwork. The frame is cast with a guilloche border, surmounted by a pierced rocaille loop with a scallop motif, and terminates below in a turned pendant finial.

The sides of the frame are engraved with a delicate foliate frieze, while the reverse is flat-chased with three vases of stylised flowers issuing from scrolled supports, framed above by draped swags, butterflies, and a winged cherubic mask. The case hinges open at the top to reveal its interior, originally fitted with mirrored glass, now partially oxidised but retaining areas of reflection. The overall form and mounting suggest it was intended for both personal use and display, suspended from a chain or ribbon.

The enamel composition is directly derived from a print by Étienne Delaune (1518/19–1583), from his series Grotesques à Fond Noir, Dieux et Déesses, created in France c.1550–1572 prior to his departure for Strasbourg. Delaune’s engravings were a principal source for Limoges enamellers of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, particularly in the production of oval mirror plaques for personal toilette or cabinet display.

Comparisons
A closely related mirror case, almost certainly from the same workshop, is in the Cincinnati Art Museum (Inv. 1981.145). Another variant, with a similar but less accomplished rendering of the scene, was sold at Christie’s, London, 8 July 2010, lot 59. For the original engraving by Delaune, see the British Museum, London, inv. Gg,4D.66.