Covered Tazza (Footed Bowl) with an Allegory of Fortune
Artist: Léonard Limosin (French (Limoges), ca. 1506-1575/1577)
Date: about 1536-1548
Dimensions:
H: 3 7/16 in. (8.7 cm), diam: 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm);
cover diam: 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm)
Medium: painted enamel on copper
Classification: Metalwork
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott
Object number: 1980.1018A-B
Label Text:The interior of this remarkable tazza shows the figure of Fortune balanced precariously on a globe and holding a sail (symbols of the unpredictable changes of fortune) as she is led across the sea on seahorses guided by Cupid. The inscription, in the dialect of the Limousin region of France, can be translated, “Reason overcomes Fortune’s changes.” Léonard Limosin, the most famous Limoges enamellist of his day, prominently placed his initials on the sail, suggesting the cup’s importance. The cover (initialed 11 more times!) features three medallions with profile busts of Hercules, his wife Deianira, the Emperor Nero, and Helen of Troy.
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