A German champlevé enamel gilt-copper plaque depicting Saint Matthew, circa 1150, possibly Saxony

On loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1979-2010 (L.1979.37)

Pierced with five holes for attachment. Overall wear and surface abrasions. Some scratches. Rubbing to some gilding. Some losses to enamel, primarily around nail holes (particularly around lower left corner on border and upper left curve on border). Very minor chipping to edges of colored sections. Loss to upper left green halo. Some shallow scratches on reverse. Three small notches at bottom reverse edge possibly indicating placement within a series. Otherwise overall good condition and strong colors.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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In this plaque, which was probably part of an altarpiece, or reliquary casket, the apostle Matthew is shown as an author of the Gospel, seated at a writing desk with pen and ink.  Shadows in the folds of drapery are brilliantly described with blended variations of light and dark in the rhythmic bands of colored enamel, while details of the head, hands, feet, and lettering are engraved in narrow grooves; these techniques, as well as the coloring and general design, are close to those of the great 12th century enamellers of the Meuse Valley.  The style of lettering and facial type, however suggest a different origin for the present plaque, and comparisons can be drawn with plaques thought to originate in Saxony, including a plaque of very similar style depicting the Massacre of the Innocents in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (17.190.444).

RELATED LITERATURE

Rhein und Maas, Kunst und Kultur, 800-1400 (exh. cat.), Cologne and Brussels, 1972
P. Verdier, 'Emaux Mosans et rheno-mosans dans les collections des Etats-Unis' in Revue belge d'archéologie et d'histoire de l'art, XLIV, 1975
N. Stratford, Catalogue of Medieval Enamels in the British Museum, Volume II: Northern Romanesque Enamel, London, 1993