The National Gallery in London has acquired an intriguing altarpiece titled “The Virgin and Child with Saints Louis and Margaret and Two Angels” for $20 million. The painting, dating from around 1510, is by an unknown artist, possibly French or Netherlandish. Emma Capron, curator of early Netherlandish and German paintings at the National Gallery, described the artwork as “full of iconographical oddities.” The Virgin and Child are positioned centrally, flanked by two saints and two playful angels.
The altarpiece also features a unique dragon, unlike any other known interpretation in Northern European art. The acquisition, funded by the American Friends of the National Gallery of London, was brokered by Sotheby’s from a private collection. It is a significant purchase for an unattributed painting, emphasizing the work’s quality and craftsmanship.
The painting was acquired from the family of Henry Blundell and had been housed on the Lulworth Estate in Dorset. It’s speculated that the work was purchased by Blundell by 1803 and may have been commissioned for the urban priory of Drongen in Ghent.
Altarpiece acquisition and its mysteries
Painted on Baltic oak, a common material for artists from the Low Countries, the presence of Saint Louis, depicted as the French king Louis IX, adds to the curiosity of the piece and its possible French connections. Experts have considered various artists who might be responsible for the piece, including Aert Ortkens, Jean Hey, the Master of Saint Giles, and Jan Gossaert. The painting’s combination of smoothly painted areas and intricate details pays homage to the traditions of both Jan van Eyck and French painters like Jean Hey.
Alex Bell, chairman emeritus of Old Master paintings at Sotheby’s, emphasized the painting’s inherent value. “Its extraordinary quality and history stand out, regardless of who the artist may have been. The mystery surrounding its origin makes it even more intriguing,” he said.
After being out of public view for 60 years, “The Virgin and Child with Saints Louis and Margaret and Two Angels” will be displayed in the National Gallery’s Room 53 starting May 10. This unveiling will coincide with the opening of the museum’s renovated main entrance, the Sainsbury Wing, part of a $100 million refurbishment for the gallery’s 200th anniversary.
