Miniatures of Landscapes and Figures, 1700s, Enamel Plaques, Set of 2

Pair of enamel plaques with characters and golden frames of Nordic and probably French origin, made on an enamelled metal plaque and painted in miniature with bucolic landscapes in shades of blue. They were conceived as a pendant as the compositions are mirrored and are presented within an embossed and fire-gilded copper frame. The miniatures represent shepherds at rest while grazing sheep, with landscapes and architecture in the background. In excellent condition, they date back to 1700.

Enamel decoration consists of the application of a fused glass powder applied to a metal background to which it adheres by the same fusion process. During the 1700s there was a rich production of snuffboxes, umbrella handles, delightful and futile subtleties, in which the enamel has no distinction, if not material, from painted porcelain.