The fine and fascinating enamel plaque shown here [Pic. 1] is a copy in enamels after a painting by the famed pre-Raphaelite artist, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, titled 'Love Among the Ruins'. The original, very large painting was much admired and was included in several publications in its own time and ever since. The very much smaller enamel copy is now in the possession of Onn Tammuz, who purchased the plaque by auction, in 2004, when the only information was that it had come from a private collection in the US. The enamel picture is signed and the painter added 'd'apres Burne Jones'. The signature, in liquid gold fused into the glaze, [see detail, Pic. 3], is slightly indistinct: the initial seems to be the capital letter M or N, while it could be a cursive P. The third letter in the surname may be read as - Auge, Auze or Auje. The balance is towards Auge, which is the surname of a family of artists of Limoges [France], known to be active in the 19th century, and included two members with the initials M and N. As far as is known at present, they were not associated with enamel paintings. Philippe Auge, born in 1935, also became an established painter, and a known picture by him [not enamel] depicts stylized, elegantly dressed young women, with a crisply coloured decor following the Art Deco style. At best, any similarities to the enamel plaque of 'Love Among the Ruins', are tenuous. However, Phillipe Auge may have included enamel painting in his output, and such an attribution means the piece would have been made no earlier than the 1950s. Enamel painting was re-established in Limoges in that decade, but tending to modernistic rather than revival styles. With regard to this enamel picture, my feeling is that there is a strong influence of the Art Enamelers of the late 19th and early 20th century in this piece, and, lacking additional clues, I would concur with dating to that period.
展开▼
