Pair of Shells with Portraits Forming a Purse
Nardon Pénicaud
Early 16th century or 19th century
Medium
Copper and enamel
Dimensions
13.5 × 13.7 cm (5 5/16 × 5 3/8 in.)
Classification
enamel
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
51435
Rights
Public Domain
About the Artist
Nardon Pénicaud · 1470–1543
Nardon Pénicaud (c. 1470–c. 1542/43) was a pioneering French enameler based in Limoges, recognized as the founder of the first dynasty of enamel artists in that city. Little is known about his early life or training, which remains sparsely documented, but he established a workshop that produced exquisite painted enamels on copper, primarily depicting religious subjects in a distinctive French Goth...