The early painted enamels of limoges in the Walters art museum: Historical context and observations on past treatments

The Walters Art Museum has one of the most significant collections of enamels in the world and one of the largest collections of painted enamels from Limoges. The early painted enamels, dating from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, suffer from inherent chemical instability leading to weeping, crizzling, and ultimately the breakdown of the enamel surfaces. Currently there are no generally accepted treatments for arresting this deterioration. Conservators at the Walters have carried out treatments in the past, attempting to stabilize the actively deteriorating enamels. This article places the early painted enamels from Limoges in their historical context, describes the techniques of their manufacture, reviews the literature on the causes of their deterioration, and describes and evaluates the treatments carried out at the Walters to stabilize them.