[MR] BBC: Rare 15th C. Statue Found in Plain Sight

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today the BBC is reporting on the rediscovery of a "lost" bust of St.
Agnes, which has been sitting in plain sight atop a cupboard for years in
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridge, a National Trust property. The artwork is a
life-sized bust of the saint holding a lamb. The piece was misidentified in
a 1940 inventory as "The Virgin and the Lamb", but has now been recognized
as St. Agnes (her symbol is the lamb -- Duh!).

The piece was part of a set of four walnut busts of female saints by the
noted sculptor Niclaus Gerhaert von Leyden. The piece dates to around 1465,
one of 20 of the artist's known works to survive.

The piece can be seen at
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-51332539 .

An extremely brief biographical sketch of Gerhaert, along with several
views of his other works, is found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolaus_Gerhaert .

And St. Agnes? You can read about the saint and view several medieval
depictions of her at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_of_Rome .

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆