This richly decorated object, called a pax (peace in Latin), was kissed by worshippers at the end of church Mass – a practice called the kiss of peace.
Enamel plaque with The Adoration of the Magi, set in a gilt bronze Pax, Pseudo-Monvaerni Master (active around 1479–1500), 1470-1500, Copper painted with enamels, set within a gilded metal frame with enamelled flowers. The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) © The Courtauld

Enamel plaque set in a gilt bronze Pax

Pseudo-Monvaerni Master (active around 1479-1500), 1470-1500

This richly decorated object, called aÌýpaxÌý(peace in Latin), was kissed by worshippers at the end of church Mass – a practice called the kiss ofÌýpeace.ÌýTheÌýChristian subject matter and small size of painted enamels also made them suitable for devotion in the home, where they often hung at the end of a bed.ÌýThe artist of this work has not beenÌýidentifiedÌý butÌýabout 50 enamels are attributed to him.Ìý He worked in the French city ofÌýLimoges,Ìý ³Ù³ó±ðÌýcentre of enamel production.

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Two men sit across from each other at a table covered with a brown tablecloth, playing cards. Both men wear overcoats and hats, and the man on the left smokes a pipe. They sit inside a wooden building. Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) The Card Players, around 1892-96, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

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