Enamelled plaque decorated with palm leafs

Alongside a few complete works that bear witness to the depth of the iconographic programmes illustrated in the 12th and 13th centuries, there is a large quantity of isolated enamels and remains of damaged artefacts.

This plaque, which was recently acquired in a public sale by the "Les Amis du MARAM" association, is one of them. Despite some gaps, we can appreciate the subtle way in which the colours are cleverly and harmoniously juxtaposed within the same cell. This plaque is similar to two enamelled plaques preserved in the Louvre Museum (OAR 357 and OA 10028) and may be a fragment of a phylactery, a reliquary that is often polylobed or discoid in shape.

Philippe Joris