Important late 19th-century French Limoges painted enamel on copper plaque, dated 1898. The miniature portrait depicting a cavalier smoking a pipe, after a genre painting by German artist Albert Friedrich Schröder. Executed by painter MG under the workshop direction of Théophile Soyer (French, 1853–1940). Housed in its original Louis XVI-style gilt-bronze easel frame.
The portrait depicts an elegant 17th-century cavalier with long reddish hair seated casually atop a table spread with luxury textiles. In his hand he holds a long slender white clay "churchwarden" pipe, gazing upward as delicate rings of white smoke escape his lips. In his right hand, he holds a pewter tankard resting on his knee. The cavalier wears a brilliant, deep cobalt-blue velvet doublet and matching breeches, rendered in vivid, luminous tones characteristic of high-quality late 19th-century Limoges enamel firing. The deep folds and sheen of the fabric are captured through expert blending of translucent blue glazes over the underlying foiled base. His attire is punctuated by an intricate white lace collar (gorgias) with tassels, lace cuffs, a teal or sea-green slashed under-doublet, black stockings, and buckled shoes with large decorative blue rosettes. Notice the one shoe casually kicked off to the floor. He is perched on a crisp white tablecloth adorned with lace trim, layered over a heavy green and red patterned table cloth.
The composition is a classic genre scene inspired by the historical revival styles of the late 19th century and is taken after the work of German genre painter Albert Friedrich Schröder (1854–1939) titled 'Smoking Man in a Historical Costume' (Raucher in Historischem Kostüm). Schröder specialized in highly detailed, Dutch Golden Age-inspired interiors featuring cavaliers, tavern scenes, and smokers. During the late 19th-century revival, master French enamelists in Limoges frequently translated these popular oil paintings into brilliant enamel-on-copper miniature masterpieces.
The portrait is signed to the lower left with interlaced initials TS for
Théophile Soyer (1853–1940), a highly celebrated French master
émailleur (enameler). Soyer came from a famous dynasty of Parisian artists and metalworkers and was renowned for translating famous genre and historical paintings into luminous, kiln-fired enamel on copper. He took over the family business from his father Paul Soyer in 1889 after training at the Paris School of Fine Arts. Together with his wife Lucie Dejoux, a Swiss enameler, as well as their only daughter Jeanne Soyer
(1879-1967), where she was trained by her parents from a very early age and
her talent placed her among the company’s best workers. To the lower right is interlaced initials MG, this is the signature of the collaborating enamel painter or decorator who executed the intricate brushwork within Soyer’s prestigious workshop. The piece is dated 1898, placing the plaque right at the apex of the late 19th-century French Renaissance and Baroque revival movement.
The plaque is housed in its original, highly decorative gilt-bronze easel-back frame. Featuring an ornate leaf and dart border trimmed by beaded edging. Crowned by an elaborate openwork Louis XVI style crest, casted as an intertwined ribbon bow with trailing floral garlands and laurel leaves with berries. Backed with a hinged A-frame easel stand for tabletop display and a top loop for handing. The easel bears a maker's mark.
Dimensions: 13 7/8" x 9 1/2". The portrait (sight) measures 10 1/4" x 7 1/2".
In overall good antique condition with general wear commensurate with age and use. No damage or cracks to the beautiful enamelwork. There is a thin scratch that exposes the copper beneath, located at the upper left corner of the scene, though this is hardly noticeable and does not detract from the beauty of the scene.
