Limoges enamel hexagonal salt, by Colin Nouailher

An image of Hexagonal Salt. Limoges Painted Enamel. Nouailher, Colin (French, b.1514, act.1574). Hexagonal with straight sides, projecting upper and lower edges, and a concave central depression in the top and base. Copper, enamelled en grisaille on a black ground, and gilded; the top also enamelled in turquoise-green, and the base in turquoise, and pale mauve. The decoration of this salt is related to the theme of the Ages of Man. The prime of life is represented by Helen, the beautiful wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta, and by Paris, who provoked the Trojan War by abducting her. The middle-aged and old men and women on the sides are accompanied by inscriptions which indicate that despite their age, their interest in love-making endures. Height (whole) 8 cm, width, across points, 10.9 cm, width, across flat sides, 10 cm, circa 1540-1545. Limoges, France.

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Hexagonal Salt. Limoges Painted Enamel. Nouailher, Colin (French, b.1514, act.1574). Hexagonal with straight sides, projecting upper and lower edges, and a concave central depression in the top and base. Copper, enamelled en grisaille on a black ground, and gilded; the top also enamelled in turquoise-green, and the base in turquoise, and pale mauve. The decoration of this salt is related to the theme of the Ages of Man. The prime of life is represented by Helen, the beautiful wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta, and by Paris, who provoked the Trojan War by abducting her. The middle-aged and old men and women on the sides are accompanied by inscriptions which indicate that despite their age, their interest in love-making endures. Height (whole) 8 cm, width, across points, 10.9 cm, width, across flat sides, 10 cm, circa 1540-1545. Limoges, France.

Image data

Accession Number: M.50-1904
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/18.0
Focal length: 100
Camera: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II
Photographer name: Michael Jones
Image height: 1024 pixels
Image width: 975 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.6 (Macintosh)
Filesize: 258.34kB
Exposure time: 1/100
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 18/1
Captured: 2008:01:22 23:18:33

Key words

16th Century Artist/Maker Artistic Movement Colin Nouailher Date Department Fitz_AA French Limoges Material Medium Nationalities Object Type Other Keywords Paris People Renaissance Workflow _WF_AdOK _WF_KWD _WF_OPAC _WF_PCtd ages of man bust copper costume enamel enamelled gilded grisaille hats heads hexagonal male old profile salt

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024)
            "Limoges enamel hexagonal salt, by Colin Nouailher"
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