Ernest BLANCHER (1855-1935) LIMOGES

Enamel painting on copper representing an old man's head, Escope, after Velázquez which is kept in the Madrid museum. Dated on the back 1897 and monogrammed by the master enameller E.B. Oak frame. Enamel painting on copper on a gold background, in perfect condition.
The painted enamel: The copper support, entirely covered with enamel, disappears under the vitreous material. The colours, laid in superimposed layers, are juxtaposed and can be blended.

The rediscovery of enamel in the 19th century, after an eclipse of several decades, resulted from a renewed taste for ancient art. The first steps of historical research and the activity of the antiques market fed each other, while giving rise to the emergence of restorers and the appearance of forgers. The enamels of the 19th century, with their very meticulous technique, were often faithful imitations of the Renaissance, particularly in the field of grisaille. But some artists soon abandoned the old techniques to explore new ways of exploiting the material. At the end of the century, enamel naturally found its place in the new craze for the decorative arts. In 1889, the Universal Exhibition in Paris presented several hundred enamels. This century also presents the paradox of seeing the art of enamel rehabilitated in the Parisian decorative arts, at the very moment when, thanks to the knowledge of Limousin and Parisian scholars, it was established as a heritage of identity. The general public then discovered, through a network of national and international exhibitions, the delicate effects of a revisited decorative art.