COMPTON VERNEY.- Around the year 1515, at the height of the German Renaissance (circa 1470-1600), a mysterious altarpiece was created in the region of Franconia, now part of modern Bavaria.

Somehow it made its way to a church in the UK where it remained whole until 1993, when it was broken up and sold. The wings of the altarpiece came to Compton Verney and the central panel went to the National Gallery of Scotland.

Now for the first time in more than 30 years, The Lamentation of Christ with a Group of Donors, along with striking depictions of St Christopher carrying the Infant Christ and Saint George and the Dragon will be reunited at Compton Verney.

As part of a joint project between the National Galleries of Scotland and Compton Verney, these three works by the artist known only as a ‘Franconian Master’ have inspired a new body of technical analysis and academic research, which will accompany the display.

Reunited: The Lamentation Altarpiece will not only afford visitors an exciting and rare opportunity to admire the superb skill of the altarpiece as a whole, but also offer further insights as to who the unknown painter could be.

The Lamentation of Christ with a Group of Donors (c.1515), now in the National Galleries of Scotland collection, has remarkably rich colours and shows Christ’s body being brought down from the cross, in front of Mary Magdalene and other holy figures. Painted during the Northern Renaissance, the use of scale and perspective is both fascinating and perplexing. Closer inspection of the painting’s imagery also demonstrates that the artist was aware of the work of famous contemporaries, such as Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) and Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553).

The wings of the altarpiece are double-sided – featuring the figures of Saints Christopher and Catherine on either side of one panel, and Saints George and Barbara on opposite sides of the other – and would have opened and closed over the central panel of the Lamentation. They would have been ceremonially opened on holidays and festivals, acting as a very dramatic reveal in a world with limited imagery.

The Lamentation altarpiece will form the central display in the gallery devoted to Compton Verney’s beautiful and nationally important Northern European collection (1450-1640) and recognises the enthusiasm and research of Christine Cluley, a volunteer and visitor guide at the Warwickshire art gallery, who has been researching the painting for over a decade. Indeed, it is Christine’s passion for the altarpiece that became the key impetus for the display, which will also combine art-historical research with technical analysis and includes a short film exploring the significance of the altarpiece.

Jane Simpkiss, Curator at Compton Verney says, “Christine has led on the research and been tireless in her quest to find out as much as she can about the work, travelling across Europe in her investigation.”

“The altarpiece is a rather mysterious object, and many things are still not known. For example, the style of the female saints is different from that of their male counterparts, so there is a suggestion that they are by a different artist, or perhaps even from a different altarpiece. Several ideas have been put forward suggesting who the artist might be, ranging from the somewhat vague ‘Circle of Dürer’ and ‘unknown Franconian master’, to more specific suggestions such as Hans Baldung Grien (c.1484-1545) and Hans Dürer (1490-1538). In fact, the painting was at one stage signed by Dürer but this was proved to be a later addition She adds, “So many things remain unconfirmed and unknown about the painting, so this show is a great chance for the public to see how art history is undertaken and the various theories we need to consider and contend with.”

Geraldine Collinge, Compton Verney’s Chief Executive Officer says “We are delighted to be working with our colleagues at the National Galleries of Scotland on this display which will allow visitors to look again at Compton Verney’s fantastic collection of Northern European paintings and consider what they reveal about belief in the Early Modern period and the impact these dramatic objects had on the lives of ordinary people – huge thanks to Christine whose hard work and persistence has made this all possible.”