The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin
First appearing in French manuscript illuminations, the subject of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin posits the suffering of the Virgin as equivalent to that endured by Christ. Her seven sorrows, illustrated here in roundels, are the Circumcision, the Flight into Egypt, the Loss of the Child in Jerusalem, Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary, the Crucifixion, Mary receiving the dead body of her child, and, finally, the Entombment. The scenes of the Flight into Egypt and the Way to Calvary derive from woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer made before 1506 and in 1509, respectively. Dated 1533, this plaque may be the oldest known enamel produced in the workshop of the prolific and talented Pierre Reymond, who was active until the early 1580s.
Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.
Charles Stein (?). J. Pierpont Morgan, London and New York. Duveen. Frick, 1916.
Source: Enamels, Rugs and Silver in The Frick Collection. Volume VIII. New York: The Frick Collection, 1977.
