The Education of the Virgin
mid-16th century, with later additions
Medium
Painted enamel on copper, partly gilt
Dimensions
8 7/8 × 6 5/8 in. (22.5 × 16.8 cm)
Classification
Enamels
Culture
French, Limoges
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of George Blumenthal, 1941
Accession Number
41.100.304
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the tranquil glow of painted enamel, *The Education of the Virgin* by Jean II Pénica captures a tender moment from Christian iconography: the young Virgin Mary, guided by her mother Saint Anne in reading sacred texts. Created in mid-16th-century Limoges, France—this exquisite copper plaque, partly gilded and measuring just under 9 by 7 inches—exemplifies the Renaissance mastery of the Pénicaud family, enamellers whose workshops made Limoges the epicenter of this luminous art form. Limoges enamels, fusing translucent glass-like colors onto metal through multiple firings, allowed for jewel-t...