Italian, Venice, late 15th century

Ernest Brummer Collection, sold Galerie Koller, 16-19 October 1979, vol. I, lot 263

Overall the condition of the monstrance is good. There is wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age and handling. There is wear to the gilding throughout. There is wear to the enamel on the edges of the object. There are losses to the finial on the lid and to the inside. There are areas of restauration to the edge of the foot and to the inside. The finial on the lid was possibly reattached. The metal mounts are slightly warped and a few nails are missing from the mount on the lid. There are two chips to the edge of the glass.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

An analogous monstrance was sold for €121,000 in the Collection Yves Saint Laurent et Pierre Bergé sale at Christies, Paris, 25/02/09, lot 612.

Italian enamels of the late-fifteenth- and early-sixteenth-centuries can be divided into two categories. The first being items of the type produced by contemporary goldsmiths, and the second being purely decorative objects produced by craftsmen in Venice using a technique of painting in camaieu on a gros bleu background.

The present fine examples of Italian enamelling fall into the second category of object, which are chiefly painted blue, white and green and tend to be articulated with elaborate decorative forms painted in gold. The gadroons adorning the dome of the present monstrance can be seen on many Venetian enamels of the period, including on the knop of a reliquary in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore (Inv. 44.171). This reliquary compares closely with the present piece and is articulated with very similar gold motifs, including the same leaf pattern, which can be seen running  beneath the dome of the present monstrance.

Late-fifteenth- and early-sixteenth-century Venetian enamels can be closely related to contemporary glassware produced on the lagoon islands, most notably Murano. Decorative gadroons can witnessed in gadrooned glass goblet vases of the same period, whilst fluting, another feature often associated with Venetian enamels, can be seen in Murano coppe costolate (enamelled white glass) ribbed cups. Like these glass objects, Venetian enamels would have been seen as expensive luxury commodities, with production doubtless tightly controlled by the state, and designed to be enjoyed by members of the Patrician elite in Venice and to be exported to the royal courts of Europe.

RELATED LITERATURE
P. Verdier, The Walters Art Gallery Catalogue of the Painted Enamels of the Renaissance, Baltimore, 1967, nos. 3-6, pp. ix-xv, 3-8; L. Syson and D. Thornton, Objects of Virtue: Art in Renaissance Italy, London, 2001, pp. 182-200