The Thornham Parva Retable |
A miraculous
survival of English medieval art: this retable, now at the church of St
Mary at Thornham Parva, in Suffolk. It is thought it was originally
created for the Dominican friary in Thetford, Norfolk. It was found in
1927 hidden away in an attic. It is 3.9 metres in length and 1.1 metres
in height. The central panel shows a crucifixion with the Virgin Mary
and John the Evangelist. On each side are panels of saints, their
identify supporting the view that the work has a Dominican origin. I’ll
post larger images of the panels below. |
Left side panels: Saints Dominic, Catherine, and John the Baptist. |
Centre panels: St Peter, the Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist, St Paul. |
The right-hand side: St Edmund, St Margaret and St Peter Martyr. |
|
A view of the entire screen. Below
is an altar frontal, now in the Musée National du Moyen Age, Paris. It
is known as the Cluny Frontal. Strong evidence shows it was made in the
same workshop as the Thornham Parva retable, and was almost certainly
intended for the Same Dominican Priory. |
Below is a reconstruction of the original altar at the Priory in Thetford. |
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