A remarkable discovery has transformed the fortunes of a historic Dorset almshouse after experts identified a centuries-old painting as a 15th-century Flemish masterpiece worth up to £3.5 million.
From Chapel Wall to Auction House
The stunning triptych, depicting five miracles of Christ, had hung for centuries in the chapel of St John's Almshouse in Sherborne, Dorset, largely unnoticed as anything beyond a religious artwork. The revelation came when trustees removed the piece for safekeeping during building renovations and decided to have it professionally assessed.
Sotheby's auction house in London took responsibility for the artwork and initiated extensive research to determine its origins and value. What followed was an eight-month investigation involving world-renowned experts who employed sophisticated scientific techniques including dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) and infrared reflectology.
A Masterpiece Revealed
The investigation yielded extraordinary results. Experts determined the triptych was created between 1480 and 1490 in Brussels from East Baltic oak by an unknown but highly skilled Flemish artist. The artwork measures an impressive 8 feet wide and 3 feet tall, featuring oil and gold on panel construction.
Mike Burks, one of the almshouse trustees, expressed the community's astonishment: "We knew it was valuable, but there was quite a lot of debate about its value. The final valuation has exceeded all our expectations."
The triptych's survival is particularly remarkable given its history. During the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, when many religious artworks were destroyed, the piece was carefully concealed within the almshouse to protect it from destruction.
Funding Social Housing Through Art
Faced with prohibitive insurance and security costs to keep the masterpiece, the almshouse trustees have made the difficult decision to sell the triptych. The proceeds will be dedicated to funding social housing projects in the Dorset market town.
If the artwork achieves its estimated value at auction, the windfall could finance approximately six new accommodation units, providing crucial housing support for local residents. The sale represents a modern interpretation of the almshouse's original charitable purpose, established through a royal charter from King Henry VI in 1437.
A Sotheby's spokesperson highlighted the artwork's significance: "The Sherborne almshouse triptych is a quite remarkably intact altarpiece which has preserved its integrity from its construction right through to the present day. Its survival is of considerable rarity, for few such works have survived both the Dissolution and the Puritan Iconoclasm."
The historic triptych will go under the hammer at Sotheby's on December 3rd, where it's expected to attract significant interest from international collectors and museums.
