Isaac and Rebecca

Art Historical Context

In the heart of 17th-century Limoges, France—a renowned hub for enamel artistry—this exquisite painted enamel roundel, *Isaac and Rebecca*, captures a tender biblical moment from Genesis. Depicting the patriarch Isaac and his wife Rebecca alongside faithful dogs, the scene evokes themes of love, family, and divine providence. Crafted in the first quarter of the 1600s on a copper support partly gilded for luminous accents, its 9¾-inch diameter made it ideal for display in affluent homes or as a devotional object. Attributed to a stellar lineup of Limoges masters—Suzanne de Court, Étienne Delaune, Bernard Salomon, and Claude Paradin—this piece exemplifies the era's painted enamel technique. Artists applied vibrant, translucent glass pigments in intricate layers, firing them multiple times to achieve depth and jewel-like brilliance on the metal base. Gilding heightened the opulence, reflecting the French decorative arts' fusion of Renaissance precision and emerging Baroque drama. Now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art thanks to the 1913 bequest of Benjamin Altman, *Isaac and Rebecca* showcases Limoges enamels' enduring legacy: portable luxury blending faith, craftsmanship, and storytelling. Visitors will appreciate its vivid narrative, where human figures and animals come alive in enduring color.