South Italian Coral Enamelled Gilt Copper Urns from Trapani

A pair of south Italian coral enamelled and gilt copper urns, Trapani, late 17th/early 18th century, each bulbous urn inlaid all over with coral, on a beaded foot with a pair of enamelled scrolled handles to either side and an enamelled corona rim, the arrangement of enamel leaves, and coral flowers on spring stems issuing from an engraved circular panel, height 16.5 cm. Provenance: The Robert Compton Jones Collection. Other Notes: Trapani, in Sicily, where the present vases were made, was a famous centre of coral-work production between the 16th and the 18th centuries. Famously expensive and collected or exchanged as diplomatic gifts between European nobility, Trapani work generally combines a gilt copper ground with enamel embellishments and was fashioned into a variety of religious and secular items. These vases demonstrate many characteristics of workmanship from this region. The decoration of the vases is achieved by setting the pieces of carved coral into the gilt copper using a technique called 'Retroincastro'. This consists of inserting small pieces of polished coral into pre-punched holes in the metal, which conform exactly to the pieces of coral. The coral is then fixed using a mixture of pitch and wax, sealed with strips of cloth. The spring stamens on the large flowerheads give the vases the 'en tremblant' effect popular with diamond jewellery of the time.