Royal Worcester 'Limoges Enamel' Plaque by T.J. Bott, 1870s
A Royal Worcester porcelain 'Limoges Enamel' decorated plaque, early 1870s, the enamel decoration by Thomas John Bott, oval and convex, cobalt blue ground, finely decorated in white enamel with a scene of a young fisherman and siren embracing, signed 'Tj Bott.' lower right, mounted in an antique sanded and gilt frame (the reverse of the plaque presently concealed but believed to be unmarked as to manufacture), 7.87 in. x 5.91 in., oval. Other notes: possibly inspired by Lord Frederic Leighton's 1858 painting 'The fisherman and the Syren'.. Condition: the panel: inspection under Uv light presents a possible area of restoration. Please note this panel was inspected within the frame, the frame: regilded, some losses to textured ground, wear to gilding in places
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- Gilding - Gilding is a method of ornamentation whereby a thin sheet of gold metal is applied to items made of wood, leather, ceramics, glass and silver for decorative purposes.
For furniture including mirrors, the sheet of gold is usually applied over a coating of gesso. Gesso is a mixture of plaster of Paris and gypsum mixed with water and then applied to the carved wooden frames of mirrors and picture frames as a base for applying the gold leaf. After numerous coats of gesso have been applied, allowed to dry and then sanded a coat of "bole", a usually red coloured mixture of clay and glue is brushed on and allowed to dry, after which the gold leaf is applied. Over time parts of the gilding will rub off so the base colour can be seen. In water gilding, this was generally a blue colour, while in oil gilding, the under layer was often yellow. In Victorian times, gilders frequently used red as a pigment beneath the gold leaf.
Metal was often gilded by a process known as fire gilding. Gold mixed with mercury was applied and heated, causing the mercury to evaporate, the long-term effect of which was to kill or disable the craftsman or woman from mercury poisoning. The pursuit of beauty has claimed many victims, not the least of which were the artists who made those pieces so highly sought after today.
This item has been included into following indexes:
- Bott, Thomas (England) - Royal Worcester artists 22
- Royal Worcester (England), item types
