It is difficult to envision a more appropriate setting for appreciating antique enameled objects than Galerie Kugel in Paris, with its rich backdrop of gilded splendor. Run by the brothers Alexis and Nicolas Kugel, the gallery was established by their father, Jacques Kugel, but they are the fifth generation in this art-dealer family, followed by Laura Kugel, who represents the sixth. Known to curate exhibitions on less-known works, the Kugels have put Limoges enamels on the map, as seen in the current exhibition Immarcescible: Limoges Renaissance Enamels and Their Collectors.
Located in the Hôtel Collot on quai Anatole France, the exhibition focuses on the enameling technique called champlevé, which is unique to the Limoges region. Witnessing a rise in the sixteenth century, this method involves melting crushed glass, then painting it over a sheet of copper that has been etched or carved into, in order to hold the molten material, creating an image with evocative visual depth. Portraiture was particularly coveted in this technique as it was painstaking and time-consuming, but it was also a gamble for patrons, who would be required to pay a significant sum of money for a product that could emerge from the flames looking like a perfectly rendered painting—or something quite the opposite if not done correctly.
The show at Galerie Kugel includes more than seventy exquisite works meticulously collected by the family over the past couple of years, specifically pieces created between 1520 and 1620, a period that saw a rise in the popularity of the art form. Some had previously belonged to such earlier collectors as the Rothschild family, J. P. Morgan, Henry Clay Frick (an entire room at the Frick Collection in New York is devoted to the material), William Randolph Hearst, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Bergé, and Yves Saint Laurent. Givenchy sold his Chariot of Apollo cabinet by the renowned French ébéniste André Charles Boule (1642–1732), and containing Givenchy’s entire collection of enamels, to Alexis and Nicolas Kugel in the 1990s. The Kugel brothers then sold the collection to Pierre Bergé at the Biennale des Antiquaires—the historic annual French antiques fair—in 1994, propelling the art form back into the public eye.
The word “Immarcescible” in the exhibition title can be translated as “that which cannot wither,” perfectly capturing the timeless allure of the pieces and their resilience against the sands of time. If not broken, Limoges enamels look just as vivid today as the day they emerged from the fiery depths of the kiln. A variety of subjects are portrayed in the pieces on view, including portraiture and nature, but also ones from ancient Greek mythology and the works of Ovid. A significant example is the pair of dishes, one depicting the Judgment of Paris and the other, the ancient Roman goddess Venus, created by Pierre Reymond’s workshop. The enameling on these is executed in grisaille, a painting method using black and white tones to imitate sculpture.
To add to the visually evocative nature of the enamels, the exhibition is accompanied by an exhaustively illustrated catalogue. Most certainly worth a visit, Immarcescible: Limoges Renaissance Enamels and Their Collectors awaits—eager to dazzle the eye and remain in the mind for eternity. —Urvashi Lele
Immarcescible: Limoges Renaissance Enamels and Their Collectors • Galerie Kugel, Paris • to December 20 • galeriekugel.com
