Museum of London Acquires Rare Medieval Altar Panels

The Museum of London has unveiled its latest acquisition, a pair of rare medieval paintings, known as the Westminster Panels, which miraculously survived the mass destruction of English religious art during Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries.

Acquired by the museum for £190,000, the panels were commissioned by or for George Fascet, Abbot of Westminster from about 1498-1500. They depict the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin standing on plinths which bear the shield of arms of Westminster Abbey and the Abbot himself.

Originally forming the wings of an altarpiece, the oil painted panels represent the high quality religious artwork available to wealthy medieval Londoners of the time. The Annunciation scene is depicted in glowing colours, with the Archangel Gabriel on the left panel and the Virgin Mary on the right.

Illuminated by candles in its original setting, the ‘cloth of gold’ featured in the panels would have provided a shimmering backdrop against which the figures would appear to step out toward the viewer with an uncanny lifelike quality.

“Acquiring the Westminster Annunciation Panels for the museum will ensure that this outstanding and fascinating example of high quality religious painting will be made accessible to the general public, as the centrepiece of a permanent display,” said John Clark, curator of the museum’s Medieval Gallery.

After a period on display individually, the panels will be placed adjacent to cases dealing with Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Protestant/Catholic conflicts of the ensuing reigns of Edward VI and Mary – part of the Medieval London Gallery, which opened in November 2005.

For the museum the homecoming of the panels completes a tale of extraordinary and unlikely survival, which saw them pass intact through the cataclysmic upheavals of Reformation, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and religious turmoil.

These are key themes in the museum’s Medieval London Gallery, where the panels will help convey the importance of religion for the higher social classes. Their connection with a documented London figure and one of medieval London’s most important establishments, make them an outstanding and extremely important addition to the museum’s collection.

“This display will interpret the work in the wider context of religion in the medieval city and will illustrate the overriding importance of faith and worship across the social spectrum of Londoners,” added Mr Clark.

The acquisition was made possible with a grant of £100,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), £56,430 from The Art Fund, £15,000 from The Pilgrim Trust and generous funding from private donors.

(24 Hour Museum - 08 December 2006)