Westminster Abbey Panels at Museum of London

An exquisite pair of late 15th century altar paintings believed to have furnished a chapel at Westminster Abbey, are to take pride of place at Museum of London. The Westminster Abbey panels at Museum of London will be a tremendous adition to the musuem and is a rare example of late 15th century Christian art.

The Westminster Abbey panels at Museum of London will add a little grandeur to the collection, alongside the glamour, sleaze and disease which make up the Museum’s story of medieval life in the capital.

Originally having formed part of the wings of an altarpiece, the Westminster Abbey panels at Museum of London are adorned with the shields of arms of Westminster Abbey and George Fascet, Abbot from 1498-1500. The oil painted panels represent the high quality religious artwork which was only available to wealthy medieval Londoners.

Depicted on the Westminster Abbey panels at Museum of London is the Annunciation scene, painted in glowing colours with the Archangel Gabriel on the left panel and the Virgin Many on the right. The panels are beautifully preserved, and illuminated by candles in its original setting, the cloth of gold would have provided a shimmering setting against which the figures would appear to step out toward the viewer with an almost lifelike quality. The London homecoming of the Westminster Abbey 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, but the objects currently on display are generally of a much smaller and more personal nature.

Not only will the Westminster Abbey panels at Museum of London complement the other displays, they will also specifically convey the importance of religion for the higher social classes at the time. 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.

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