CHAMPLEVÉ ENAMEL BINDING CENTRE PLATE, LIMOGES, BETWEEN 1190 AND 1210 Christ in Majesty On copper and gilding, decorated with Christ in glory, surrounded by the tetramorph, symbols of the evangelists, enthroned in a mandorla, seated on a cushion and the rainbow underlined by an enamelled wave; the dexter raised in blessing, the left hand holding a closed book, his head, surrounded by a cruciferous nimbus, framed by the Alpha and the Omega in reserve, the heads in relief of gilded applique; The ultramarine enamelled background is decorated with enamelled discs in cloudy colours, the mandorla enamelled with a turquoise fillet and a wavy frieze; the upper and lower borders enamelled with a wave, the rim engraved with a fine zigzag line; small accidents. H. 22.7 cm (9 in.) L.: 11.9 cm (4 ¾ in.) A Limoges polychrome painted enamel plaque depicting the Christ, between 1190 and 1210 The enamels feature a wide range of colours: ultramarine, turquoise, water green, red, yellow and black. Plates showing Christ in majesty were most often found on the reverse of the precious gospels of the great monasteries and abbeys, while the obverse featured the Crucifixion. Several examples of Limousin plates with the same subject and period are held in public collections, including the Musée du Louvre (MRR248), the Metropolitan Museum in New York (17,190,798) and the British Museum (1913,1220.4).