The Wilton Diptych
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The Wilton Diptych (c.1395-1399) is a portable altarpiece taking the form of a diptych. It was painted for King Richard II.
The painting consists of two oak panels. On the left hand side panel of the diptych, Richard is shown kneeling. Beside him are the saints John the Baptist, Edward the Confessor and Edmund. The Virgin Mary is depicted on the right hand side of the diptych, along with a company of eleven angels. It is considered an outstanding example of the International Gothic style and (possibly) of English art of the period. It is currently housed in the National Gallery, London.
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[edit] History
The painting was painted sometime in the last five years of Richard's reign. Being in the International style, the nationality of its painter is disputed. Theories abound in favor of the artist being English, French or Italian, and some art historians even point to the possibility of a Bohemian artist, perhaps brought to England by Richard II's first wife, Anne of Bohemia. However, the exquisite quality of the painting indicates that the artist was most likely French.
The diptych's first documented appearance is from an 1649 inventory of the art collection of Charles I. The 'Wilton' moniker was added later because the painting was in the possession of the Earls of Pembroke who kept it at Wilton House before it was bought by the National Gallery in 1929.
[edit] Interpretation
The angels depicted in the picture are wearing the livery of Richard II (The White Hart) and one can be seen to be carrying a banner which either depicts St. George's cross or the banner of the Resurrection. In the orb on the top of this banner can be seen a tiny map of England.
All three saints presenting kneeling Richard to the Virgin and Child are believed to be special to the king, as each has their own chapel in Westminster. Edmund (left) can be seen holding the arrow which killed him, while Edward (centre) is holding the ring he unknowingly gave to a pilgrim who transpired to be a disguised John the Evangelist. John the Baptist (right) holds the Lamb of God.
John the Baptist was Richard's Patron Saint, and Saint Edward and Saint Edmund had both been English kings. Richard had a special devotion to Edmund, one of the patron saints of England along with St. George.
The painting is indicative of both Richard's belief in his divine right to rule and his genuine devotion to Christianity.
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