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Centuries-Old Masterpiece Discovered in Almshouse, Poised to Fund Social Housing
14 Nov
Summary
- 15th-century Flemish triptych painting worth £3.5M found in Sherborne almshouse
- Artwork to be sold to fund social housing projects in the Dorset market town
- Almshouse has housed the painting since before the Reformation

In a remarkable discovery, a 15th-century Flemish triptych painting worth an estimated £3.5 million has been found hanging in the chapel of the Almshouse of Saint John the Evangelist and John the Baptist in Sherborne, Dorset. The paneled artwork, depicting the five miracles of Christ, has been housed at the almshouse since before the Reformation.
The trustees of the almshouse, which received its royal charter from King Henry VI in 1437, recently asked an auction house to safeguard the altarpiece for security reasons while the building underwent renovations. Sotheby's in London conducted extensive research, including scientific analysis, and determined the triptych was created between 1480 and 1490 in Brussels by an unknown Flemish artist.



